ZKD Vol II: Shadows of the Past
by Kamen Rider Chrome
Summary: Trigon's end has come and a NEW DAWN will arise. Contains elements from Kamen Rider Ryuuki, Kamen Rider 555 and a bit of Kamen Rider Kabuto. Multi-xover.
1. PT001: Timshel

Part 1: Timshel

Shadowcobra was pacing in his room. It had been several hours since the ordeal with the Gamemasters. However, several of the Titans, most notably Raven and Robin, had questioned his true loyalties as he had previously attempted to annihilate both Draco and Pluto to save the other Titans. Tomorrow, the Titans, with an exception of himself and Blackfire (Who was living in the Tower, for now), would vote if he was worthy enough to stay.

He could not wait that long.

He opened up his closet and took out a duffle bag.

He was going to leave tonight.

He took whatever he could carry with him and kept the rest in a special sub-space pocket dimension for future use. This did not include his Zodiac Deck, however, for he always had it on him.

He sighed sadly. He knew he would be hurting a lot of people with his departure, most notably Raven and Starfire. The little Tamaranian girl had grown on him and was like a sister to him. Raven, however, was different. He had fallen in love with her as she began to fill up the void in his heart. He shook his head. Now was not the time to think of all that. He needed to leave, for himself and for the Titans. In truth, he never really belonged on a team. He never allowed himself to be close to anyone, not because he feared betrayal but because he feared he would betray others.

Deep inside, he was conflicting between his Angel and Vampire sides. Both were as different as Good and Evil, Light and Dark, Night and Day. Both traits conflicted and it was a miracle why he did not go mad.

Putting in the last of the essentials into his bag, he prepared to leave, but not before leaving a little note he had written:

_To The Teen Titans,_

_I'm_ _sorry that I did not wait for the voting, but I need to leave, now. It is important and necessary that I do so for I do not believe that I am trustworthy enough anymore. I am sorry. You all were the closest friends I've ever had the honor to have met and known in this world. You all were like family to me and for that I will always remember you. I know this will hurt you all and again I apologize. Raven, Starfire, I am deeply sorry. I do not know if I am ever coming back at all._

_Signed, sincerely: Ichijyo Desmond Amakusa-Akuma/Zodiac Knight Shadowcobra._

He left the note on his table and prepared to leave. The doors silently slid open before he stepped out.

He gave out a small sigh, readjusting the duffel bag strap on his shoulder. As he stepped into the dark living room, all of a sudden, the lights came on.

All of the Titans, including Blackfire were standing in front of him with stern looks on their faces. He was puzzled, how could they have known.

"H…How?" he stuttered.

Raven stepped forward and then slapped him across the face, "Idiot," she scolded, angrily. He was as stiff as a statue and did not move.

"You were going to leave," Raven continued, "Why?"

"I have to," he answered simply, "I need time to think. Besides, I know the outcome of the voting."

"Do you?" Robin raised an eyebrow, "Ballot box, please?" he asked Starfire and she handed him a large yellow box with a white T painted on. Shadowcobra raised an eyebrow. They already voted?

Beast Boy yawned, "Plutes told us you might do something like this."

"So we decided to vote early," Cyborg finished.

"Please, brother Shadow," Starfire said softly, "Do not leave."

Shadowcobra was speechless, "You…you still want me?"

"Of course we do," Draco answered, "But first we need to count the votes."

Robin pulled out 9 pieces of paper as Shadowcobra stared at the other Titans.

"Majority rules," Robin smiled, "It's unanimous. You're here to stay."

Shadowcobra stammered, "But…but why?" he demanded, "I betrayed you. I tried to murder Pluto and Draco!"

"Not like you never tried before," Pluto commented. Draco nodded in agreement.

Terra took a turn to speak, "Because we're all just human, so to speak, we all make mistakes."

Jinx added, "And we all deserve a second chance," she turned to smile at Draco.

Raven put in her two cents, "So you tried to kill Draco and Pluto," she shrugged, "I beat up Beast Boy all the time."

Starfire then finished, "And also because you are our friend. Even if what you did or attempted to do would be seen as wrong an unforgivable, we forgive you," she looked up at him, "So please," she pleaded, "Stay."

"Sides," Pluto grinned, "Who's gonna keep me straight?"

"And who's gonna keep me on my toes?" Draco added.

Shadowcobra did not know what to say. He felt like crying. These people had accepted him. Should he still leave, knowing that he was still accepted? Or stay? He was confused but then heard in his mind. _Trust in your heart._ It was his mother's voice that also told him that he may have inherited evil in his blood, but he could still create his own destiny.

Timshel, an old Hebrew word, it meant Thou mayest.

To makes one's choices and create one's destiny.

He said the only thing he could while fighting back the tears.

"I'm staying."

To Be Continued…

Chromedragozoid: I got the Timshel thing from a novel called East of Eden. It's really good!


	2. PT002: Prelude To a Date

Part 2: Prelude to a Date

It was the very next morning as Pluto walked into the Tower living room only to find Cyborg and Beast Boy playing video games. In his hands were several jackets.

"Hey guys!" he shouted to get their attention. However, the two were too engrossed in their video gaming that they blatantly ignored their friend. Pluto narrowed his eyes and then shouted again, "Guys! Yoohoo!" still, he was ignored. His eyes narrowed into small narrow slits of annoyance and frustration. He then walked up in front of the TV and slammed his fist onto the off button.

"HEY!" Beast Boy and Cyborg shouted.

"Good, now that I've got your attention, I have a favor to ask of you," he then held up two jackets and a couple of shirts, "Which do you think would look good on me?" he pressed one set against him, "The blue denim jacket with the black shirt?" he then pressed another set against himself, "Or the black leather jacket with the blue shirt?"

The bionic and shape shifter stared at him with knitted eyebrows and narrowed eyes.

"You mean…" Cyborg began.

"That you interrupted our game…" Beast Boy added.

"TO ASK FOR FASHION ADVICE!?" Both BB and Cy shouted in unison as their heads blew up to 10 times their usual sizes. Pluto's hair flapped in the wind.

"Yes!" Pluto grinned innocently.

Cyborg threw the controller onto the floor and rested his head in his hand while propping his shoulder on his knee, "Okay, what is this about?"

"I have a date tonight!" Pluto said excitedly.

Beast Boy threw his controller onto the floor and yawned, "Who's the girl this time?"

"It's Blackfire!" Pluto grinned widely.

It took exactly 5 seconds for the information to sink in.

"WHAT!?" Cyborg and Beast Boy shouted.

"Are you crazy!?" Cyborg exclaimed.

"That's suicide, dude!" Beast Boy screamed, flailing his arms around.

"What's with all this racket?" Shadowcobra walked into the living room and yawned. He was wearing a black bodysuit but without his gloves or his usual insignia.

Beast Boy answered, "Plutes got a date with Blackfire." He squeaked, "Tonight."

Shadowcobra raised his eyebrow, "Just when I think you couldn't be any dumber." He sighed, "You do know what she's capable of, right?" he went into the kitchen to fix himself a cup of herbal tea as well as one for Raven, "But it's your funeral, my friend."

Pluto then asked his friends, "So, what do you think I should wear?"

Cyborg suggested, "Your dental records so the police can identify your body, or what's left of it."

Pluto stomped his feet, "C'mon! You guys! I'm serious!"

Shadowcobra quipped, carrying a pot of tea and two cups, "Since when were you ever serious? You're acting more desperate rather than serious."

Pluto ignored Shadow's comment and continued to plead.

"Dude," Beast Boy paused, "You do know that you're risking your life just to go on a date with a girl that can fly, fire eyebeams, fling energy balls and has super strength, plus, has a very bad temper to boot!?"

"But, guys," Pluto was still not giving up, "I really like Blackfire. I already made reservations."

"Is it too late to cancel?" Cyborg remarked.

"Maybe we should make reservations for a spot in the local cemetery. I'll be glad to make funeral arrangements," Shadowcobra smirked.

"Dude!" Beast Boy laughed, slapping his knee, "That was funny!"

Pluto frowned and glowered at his (so called) friends, "Fine!" he began to stomp off and then shouted over his shoulder, "I'll do this myself!"

Shadowcobra looked at Cy and BB, "Five will get you ten that he's going to ask Starfire for advice."

The two nodded.

* * *

"Lookin' good!" Pluto grinned. He had switched his uniform for a pair of blue denim jeans, leather cowboy boots, a blue shirt and a black leather jacket. He ran the comb through his hair one last time before spraying some more hair spray and cologne on himself. He then removed his mask to reveal his blue eyes. He winked at his own reflection and did a double pointing gesture, "Who's the top dog? The Alpha wolf? The leader of the pack?" he pointed to himself, "Me! Aroooooooo!" he howled.

Draco walked into his room, startling Pluto, now Takada.

"Leo!" Takada said to him, "You scared me!"

"Well, you scared Jinx!" Draco pointed out. "And why are you all dressed up all of a sudden?"

"I've got a date!" Takada said proudly.

"With who?"

Takada was deflated by Draco's lack of reaction before he regathered his posture and answered confidently, "With Star's sister, Blackfire!"

Draco smiled and laughed, "Dead man walking!" before walking out, laughing.

"Hmph!" Takada huffed before grooming himself one more time. "Okay, now for something to give her before our date, tonight!"

* * *

Blackfire was in Starfire's room with her sister as she flipped through a fashion magazine. She held it up in front of her and stuck her tongue out in disgust, "Yuck! Do Earth women really dress this way?"

"I am afraid so, sister," Starfire sighed, "It appears to be the most popular of Earth fashion nowadays."

"Looks like crap to me!" Blackfire threw the magazine onto the floor and flipped herself onto her back.

"The fashion in here is nothing compared to what I, friend Raven, friend Terra, friend Sarah and friend Jinx wore in that fashion show," Starfire commented, looking at the magazine.

"You were in a fashion show?" Blackfire asked skeptically. Starfire nodded, "Okay…" It was silent for a few seconds before Blackfire asked, "Hey Kori?"

"Yes, dear sister?" Starfire responded sweetly. How could Starfire be this cheerful in the morning was a mystery all to itself.

Blackfire sighed, "Have you, I don't know, gone on a date before?" she asked.

"Yes, I have!" Starfire squealed, blushing, "With dear Robin!"

Blackfire perked up and rolled over onto her stomach, propping her chin up in her hands, "The Boy Wonder? Do tell!" she grinned like a Cheshire cat.

"Well," Starfire smiled, remembering her and Robin's first date, "It was about 5 months ago and during the time we were on a very important mission. After that, Robin and I confessed our true feelings to one another and then…" she paused, blushing hard.

"Yes…" Blackfire prodded, grinning.

"Oh, it is so embarrassing!" Starfire covered her flushed cheeks.

"Come on, Starfire. Do tell your big sister!"

"We kissed," Starfire answered simply.

Blackfire blinked, "And…?" she raised an eyebrow.

"And what?" Starfire blinked in confusion.

"You know…" Blackfire wiggled her eyebrows in a suggestive manner.

"No," Starfire shook her head, "I am afraid I do not."

Blackfire face fell into the mattress before she sat up and said, "You know…did you and Boy Wonder have Se-" she was interrupted by a door being knocked, Starfire's door to be exact.

"Who is it?" Starfire asked sweetly.

"It's Pluto," he said from behind the door, "I want to speak to Blackfire."

"You may enter," Starfire called out.

The door slid open and Pluto, or rather, Yoshiyuki Takada, walked in. Blackfire's jaw dropped and she hid her blushing face behind a magazine. Why the hell was she so nervous all of a sudden?

"Hey, Star," Takada greeted, "Morning."

"Good morning, friend!" Starfire hugged him. She then skipped out of her room, leaving only Blackfire and Takada in there, alone.

"So…Blackfire," Pluto began.

"Yeah?" Blackfire peaked from behind her magazine.

"About that date tonight?" Pluto added.

"Uh huh," she nodded.

"Well…" he produced a bouquet of flowers from behind him and presented them to Blackfire. They were all red roses, "These are for you." He said in a suave voice and smiled. His teeth gleamed and Blackfire found herself lost in his eyes.

Blackfire blushed and took the flowers. She took a whiff and sighed in contentment, "Mmm…"

"So…8 pm, right?" Takada clarified.

Blackfire nodded and smiled at him. She then got off the bed and planted a kiss to his cheek. Takada's eyes popped out of his skull as his face turned from normal, to pink, to red and finally maroon. Steam radiated from him ears as he struggled not to hyperventilate.

"Pluto?" she blinked, acting coy, "You seem to have trouble breathing."

"I'm (gasp) fine (pant)!" Takada answered, his tongue hanging from his mouth.

"Let me give you…" she licked her lips and said in a seductive voice, "Mouth to mouth." She grabbed him by the collar of his jacket and pulled him to her, crushing her lips to his. To say Takada was in bliss was a sad understatement. He was in cloud nine, maybe even ten!

Blackfire pulled away and giggled as Takada was waving around in his stance like he was a drunken sailor. He was then shocked out of his stupor by a familiar, and angry, voice.

"WHO PICKED MY ROSES!?" Shadowcobra shouted angrily.

"I'll pick you up later," Takada gulped. He then leaned down to give her a short kiss before high tailing out of the room to hide in his own room. Blackfire just looked at his retreating form before sniffing the roses again.

"See you later," she purred like a lioness.

* * *

Starfire was skipping through the hallways and as she passed a door with a dog logo on it, she, suddenly, heard a strange sound.

"Psst…"

She looked around in confusion.

"Psst…Starfire." Pluto's door suddenly slid open as a pair of black gloved hands burst out and grabbed the girl by the shoulders and pulled her in.

Starfire was about to scream when Pluto placed his hand onto her mouth and placed a finger to his lips, making a "shh" sound, "Starfire, it's me!"

"Friend Pluto?" Starfire stared at him in confusion, "Why have you brought me into your room?

Pluto's room was an almost perfect copy of Cyborg's except with blue paint on the walls and some blue drapes over the window. His bed looked like a large sports car with a mattress in it. On his walls were schematics and plans for future inventions as well as posters of swimsuit models. In one corner were Pluto's hi-tech equipment and his computer. There were clothes strewn all over the floor.

"Star!" he placed his hands on her shoulder, "I need your help!"

Starfire beamed, ignoring Pluto's hysteric outburst, "I am glad to be helping you, friend."

"It's about your big sis, Blackfire," he told her.

"What is it you wish that concerns her?" Starfire asked.

"I need to know about her! What she likes! What she doesn't like! Her favorite food! Her favorite color! Her favorite music! Everything!" he got down on his knees and clasped his hands together, whimpering, "Please Star!" he begged, "I need to know!"

Starfire was surprised by Pluto's sudden hysterical display, but chose not to say a word about it, "Why do you wish to know all that?"

"Well Star," Pluto began as he paced back and forth in front of her, "I have a date with your sister and-"

"You do!?" Starfire squealed happily, pulling him into a suffocating bear hug. "Oh that is MARVELOUS!"

"Starfire! Need air! Please!" His face was beginning to turn blue. Starfire let go. "So can you help?" Pluto asked hopefully.

"I am sorry," Starfire told him sadly, "I do not know much of my sister over the years as we have been very distant whilst growing up."

Pluto sighed and said, "Hey, don't have to worry, Star. I'll figure a way out." He thought, gulping mentally, _I hope._ He imagined a loud "SMACK!" and mental image of himself being flung across the room with a large red hand print playing in his mind. He shuddered before returning to his happy self.

"If it helps," Starfire said to him, "My sister enjoys parties. The louder the better."

Pluto then perked up. He had heard there was a rave downtown in an abandoned warehouse. He rubbed his chin, "That just might work. Thanks Star."

"I am glad to be of service, friend," she beamed at him.

To Be Continued…


	3. PT003: A Rose By Any Other Name

Part 3: A Rose by Any other Name

Kat sighed as she flipped through a fashion magazine. She enjoyed the articles about her mother. Everything else was just trash.

"Hmph!" she scoffed, "This is horrible!" she threw down the magazine, revealing a photo of a model wearing a dress that made her look like a peacock. "Style has gone to hell!" she rolled over onto her back on the soft bed she was lying in. Katherine Hasuma was now living in the Wilson's Mansion, situated just about outside Jump City. Her room had kitty cat wall paper as well as posters of cats hung up on the walls. Stuffed cat dolls sat near the foot of her bed. Hanging from the ceiling was a large scratching post. Her bed had a large canopy. She groaned, "It's so boring!" There was a knock on the door. She answered, "Come in, unless you're Grant."

"Kat?" a soft voice spoke as the door creaked open. Kat smiled.

"Rose! Come in!" she purred. The white haired girl padded into the room wearing only a blue tank top and matching knee length pants. On her feet were a pair of white sneakers. Rose looked at Kat shyly. Kat raised an eyebrow, "Okay, what's wrong?"

"Daddy...daddy is quite concerned with your behavior," Rose explained nervously.

Kat rolled her eyes, "Is this about how I wrecked all the punching bags? I already replaced them."

"No, it's about how you totally damaged all of daddy's Sladebots," Rose clarified.

"So they're a bit scratched up," Kat ran a hand through her long black hair.

"Katherine," Rose said sternly. Kat hated it when she used her full middle name, "You tore their circuits out and most of them are missing heads and limbs. Killer androids do not come cheap!" Rose placed her hands on her hips.

Kat narrowed her eyes and smirked, "My, my. The rose does have thorns. Rawr…" she growled, playfully.

Rose sighed, "Listen, daddy thinks that you need a break."

Kat replied, "So, I'm on vacation? Slade-sama said that?"

"Not exactly, more like on temporary leave," Rose explained, "Please, Kat, for me?"

Kat sighed and shook her head. She gave Rose a genuine smile, "Fine, Rose, only for you." Kat suggested, "How about tonight at 8? We'll watch a movie and have some dinner. Just you and me." She added, "There's also this party tonight!" Kat pulled a flier out from under one of her fluffy pink pillows, "A rave! At 10!"

Rose was a little hesitant, "I don't know…"

"Please, Rose? Pretty please?" Kat pleaded, pouting and giving Rose her pathetic kitty cat eyes look. She even went so far as to bat her eyelids.

Rose sighed in defeat, "Fine…but only for you."

"Great!" Kat hopped off her bed, wearing a black t-shirt and matching jeans. She skipped to Rose and kissed her on the cheek.

"And we have to go. Wintergreen will be calling us to lunch in a minute," Rose informed her.

As if on cue, Wintergreen's voice rang through the house intercom, "Lunch will be served shortly. Will everyone please kindly come to the dining hall?"

Kat smiled at Rose, "I could never figure out how you do that."

Rose smiled back, "I'm a precog, remember?" she winked.

"And beautiful too…" Kat purred, running a hand through Rose's hair, before pressing her lips to the white haired girl's own. Rose kissed her back and ran her hands up and down Kat's back. Kat pulled away and grinned, licking her lips, "Um…I just got an appetite."

"Later Kat. It's lunch time and I don't want everyone to lose their appetite."

"Ohhh," Kat groaned.

* * *

In the dining room, all 3 Wilson children and Kat were seated at a long dining table. In front of them were plates of food. Kat had herself some salmon with a side of salad and a glass of milk. Each of the Wilson children had their own favorites. Kat looked around, "Is it just me, or does Slade-sama never eat with us since I've been here?"

"Master Slade has been very busy, as of late," Wintergreen informed her as he had his meal as well. Wintergreen always ate with them and he was very nice, though a bit stiff.

"Father has always been like that," Grant told her, munching on a piece of steak and speaking with his mouth full. Most of the diners blanched.

((Gross!)) Joey stuck out his tongue and pushed his plate away. ((That's it, I'm not hungry anymore!))

"Joey, you really have to learn to stand gross stuff!" Kat chided, "In our line of work there's gonna be blood and guts and…" Kat continued to list all the gross stuff super villains had to go through. Grant and Rose just stared at her before pushing their plates away, obviously not hungry anymore as well. Only Wintergreen was the other person still eating.

"How can you still eat?" Grant whispered to the old butler.

"I have been in service of your father for a very long time. Almost nothing disgusts me anymore ever since," Wintergreen answered as he sipped his soup.

"Lucky you," Grant muttered, rolling his eyes.

Kat had a very strong stomach. Came in handy. Almost all Hasumas, especially the females, could eat a lot of food. She let out a belch and rubbed her tummy, "That was good…" she sighed contently.

"Good for you," Grant muttered sarcastically. He then shuffled back as he caught the glare from the cat girl.

Kat smirked. She knew how to push Grant's buttons. She may have lacked fire power, but she made up for it with her sharp wit and claws.

"I'll help wash the dishes!" Kat volunteered, levitating the dirty dishes into the kitchen sink and then telekinetically washing them while filing her nails.

"How do you do that?" Rose asked.

"I'm a copycat, remember? As long as I see someone use their powers, the info is locked in my brain. I can use anyone's powers as long as I see it once," she blew her nails, "Pretty handy, no?"

"You're just a cheap imitation," Grant muttered. Suddenly, a green energy bolt slammed him into the wall. He slid off and onto his face. Kat blew the smoke off her hand.

"Cheap imitation, huh?" Kat challenged.

Grant muttered angrily, tapping his fingers on the floor. Kat, Rose and Joey laughed at him.

"Later guys," Kat got up from her chair, "I have to look through my clothes for something perfect for tonight. It's my leave! Ciao!" she teleported away.

"Show off!" Grant mumbled, dusting his shirt off.

((You're just jealous that she's leader and you're not)) Joey remarked telepathically.

"I have to agree with Joey on that," Rose agreed.

Grant crossed his arms and grunted, slouching into his seat.

* * *

Kat was up in her room. A little black cat jumped onto her bed and meowed. Kat giggled and picked up the cat.

"Oh, Jasmine!" Kat purred, twirling around, "Tonight I have a date with Rose!" she hugged the cat close and it purred. Kat fell back into her bed and giggled like she was on cloud nine. Kat liked guys, but not as much as girls though. A macho guy was nothing compared to Rose. Her Rose. She sighed again. Tonight would be perfect and nothing was going to spoil it. And if anyone tried, they would meet the sharp end of her claws. "A rose by any other name," she quoted softly before falling into a cat nap.

Nothing was going to ruin tonight. Not her brother, not his stupid friends, not even that stupid mutt Pluto.

Oh, how wrong could she be.

To Be Continued…


	4. PT004: Raiding The Closets

Part 4: Raiding the Closets

"Ready Draco?" Shadowcobra asked.

"As ready as I'll ever be," Draco replied.

Both Zodiac Knights were in the dojo section of the training room and clad in identical bodysuits except that Draco's was red and Shadow's was purple. On their arms and legs were matching wrist length gloves and ankle length boots. Around their waists were leather belts with steel buckles. On the left side of their chests were their logos. Draco's was a dragon stylized like a D and Shadow's was a snake stylized like an S. They also wore identical eye masks in their corresponding colors. The suits appeared slightly worn out since, in fact, they were their first costumes.

"Shadow discs!" Shadowcobra raised both his arms and summoned up a pair of sharp discs made of shadows, each in one hand and spinning wildly.

"Flame claws!" Flaming claws appeared out of Draco's fingertips. He flicked the flames lightly.

They both went into their battle positions, daring the other to make a move. Sweat began to fall from Draco's forehead as his eyebrows furrowed. His eyes blinked as he stared his opponent down.

Shadowcobra was already in battle mode. He was a no nonsense fighter that showed no emotion when he fought and in this case was no different. His eyes narrowed as his eyes began to glow blood red.

For a few minutes, neither of them was moving.

And then, IT happened.

"Hey guys!" Takada called them as he entered the training room. Both red and purple Zodiac Knights lost their concentrations and let loose their attacks at the same time, but out of timing. Shadow's shadow energy disc were wizzing straight towards Draco as Draco's fire claws sped towards Shadow in the form of a flaming arch.

Draco ducked, and rolled out of the way, just in time for the discs to zip over his head and slicing through the punching bag. The sand spilled out. The discs then whammed into the wall and dissipated, leaving cracks in the wall.

Shadowcobra formed a large shadow dome over himself just before the fire arch hit him. The flames dissipated but the Snake Knight still felt the impact. The shield only minimized the damage and Shadow could still feel the intense heat and shock from Draco's attack.

"Ichijyo!" Draco shouted, using Shadow's real name, "You okay?"

Shadow shook the cobwebs out of his head as he made his shield disappear, "I've had better days," he groaned. The two Knights glared at their older, but less matured, comrade.

"Am I interrupting something?" Takada asked.

"Not anymore you're not," Draco growled.

"What do you want, Takada?" Shadow asked.

Takada walked in closer to reveal what he was wearing. It was a black sleeveless shirt with a large red dragon decorating the back and front. He also had on a pair of black leather pants and studded belt worn around his waist. On his legs was a pair of buckled black leather boots that went up to his knees, with the straps being purple all the way up. On his hands, up to the wrist, were matching black gloves with purple snakes decorating the back and purple cuffs that also looked like snakes. He also had his mask off. He struck a pose and asked, "What do you guys think?"

"Are those my shirt, pants and belt?" Draco growled as his eyes narrowed.

"And are those my gloves and boots?" Shadowcobra hissed as his eyes also narrowed.

"You don't mind, do you?" Takada asked hopefully, "I raided your closets to find something to wear on my date with Blackfire. You guys surprisingly have very good taste." Takada, as dimwitted as ever, didn't notice that both snake and dragon Knight were glaring daggers at him.

"You could've asked," Shadow gritted his teeth, exposing his fangs.

"Or at least gave us the heads, up," Draco added, eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Well you guys were busy," Takada reminded them, "I didn't want to disturb you guys."

"A little too late for that, isn't it!" Shadow remarked as he pointed to the damage to the wall caused by the misfired attacks.

Takada rubbed his chin, "You guys should be more careful."

Shadow was trying to remain calm. Draco was of course growling, "WE should be careful?" he demanded, "WE?"

Takada checked his watch, "Well, I'm off! See ya guys later!" he left the training room and headed straight for the elevator. Draco was grinding his teeth left and right as his eyes started to flame up.

"He deserves retribution," Shadow informed the fire starter.

"I agree," nodded Draco.

"Remember when the 3 Stooges spied on you and Jinx on your date?"

"Yeah."

"Well, let's fight fire with fire. I assume that Cyborg still has that surveillance equipment in his room," Shadowcobra seemed in thought.

"You wanna spy on his date?" Draco grinned, "Cool!"

"It may seem dishonorable," Shadow told him, "But he crossed the line when he went through our closets and took our clothes," he hissed.

"Let's go."

* * *

Blackfire was waiting in the garage like Takada had told her. She had changed from her black and silver outfit with Starfire's purple one and discarded the under body armor. It looked good on her, if she so remembered. She just hoped that Takada liked it.

"I mean, he's just a guy," she told herself. _A dreamy guy…_ she sighed before shaking her head. "Get a grip! This is just a date. It's not like he's confessing his undying love or anything like that!" _Though the roses were nice._

The door to the garage opened up and Takada walked in. Blackfire turned to greet him but her jaw dropped. The dog Knight also stopped in his tracks and his jaw was agape.

_Woah! He's/she's hot!_ They both thought at the same time.

"So…um…" Takada began nervously. "Ready for our date?"

"Yeah," Blackfire tried to cover the blush on her face.

"Great!" he went to his Cadillac, dubbed the Blue Hound, and opened the passenger side door for her, "Ladies first?" he smiled suavely.

Blackfire blinked and giggled, "Sure." She floated into the passenger side before Takada closed the door. He then went to the driver's side and leapt over the door. He buckled himself in and so did Blackfire.

"So, this is your vehicle?" Blackfire inquired, her hand feeling over the dashboard.

"Yep!" Takada said proudly, "Mine. Bought it myself with my own money. She's a beauty, ain't she?"

"It looks so strong…and powerful," Blackfire liked powerful things. No wonder Cyborg and Takada were friends. They both liked powerful machines. She then giggled as she leaned against the leather seat. It felt nice and soft. She sighed and threw her arms up before resting them behind her head. "So, where are we headed, Pluto?' she asked.

"Please, call me Takada," he told her.

"First name basis, huh?" she arched an eyebrow and smirked.

"Actually, that's my last name," he admitted.

Blackfire then asked, "So what's your first name?"

He muttered something under his breath. Blackfire was barely able to hear. "What was that?" she asked.

"Yoshiyuki," he let out a defeated sigh, "My first name is Yoshiyuki."

Blackfire remarked, "Cute." Before pinching his cheek, "It fits you."

"Yeah," Takada shrugged, "But I prefer to go by my last name."

"Then you can call me Komand'r," Blackfire told him.

"Er…I don't think I'll be able to say that," he told her.

"Fine," Blackfire then thought before saying, "Karmen…What about Karmen Anders?"

"Karmen," Takada seemed to be tasting the words, "Lovely name," he complimented, making her blush.

"It just came out of the top of my head," she told him, running her hand through her hair shyly.

"It's still nice," he leaned closer.

"Not as nice as Yoshiyuki. Can I call you Yoshi for short?" she leaned closer.

Their faces were coming closer and their lips were in the puckering up mode, They leaned closer, their lips almost touching...Until the engine roared to life, causing the two occupants to jump.

"Woah!" Karmen flushed.

"Yeah," Takada panted, "That was intense."

"Let's just go!"

"Your wish is my command, m'lady!" he told her, before stepping his foot onto the accelerator. The Blue Hound's engine roared louder. The garage door slid open as the bridge that connected Titans' Island to the city rose up. The car then soared into the streets, as fast as a blast.

Neither of them noticed a long black shape in the back seat.

To Be Continued…


	5. PT005: Cat Got Your Tongue?

Part 5: Cat Got Your Tongue?

"Aw, shit!" Kat swore as she went through her closet, "How come there ain't anything good in here?" she threw the last article of clothing onto the floor and fell back on the floor with a loud thud. "Ow," she moaned, "Forgot I was nowhere near the bed," she grumbled.

All over the floor were various tops, pants, and skirts as well as a few of her unmentionables.

"What's wrong with me?" she asked herself, "Dating was never this hard!" Obviously, she had never dated another girl before.

Kat had always questioned her sexuality. She knew that she was attracted to guys, but also, she was attracted to girls as well. However, none of the guys or girls she met was right for her. They were either stupid, shallow, or both. Frustrated, she let out a shrill shriek before calming down.

"Meow?" Jasmine, her pet cat meowed from the top of the bed, before leaping onto her stomach and curling up on it. Kat sighed and unconsciously began scratching her pet's ear.

"I know, Jasmine," Kat said, "But Rose is special. No one has ever made me feel like this, ever!" she admitted.

Truthfully, the first time she met Rose was about a week after she met Slade. He had treated her of her wounds and studied her armor and Zodiac Deck. He had even made her his apprentice. She had accepted only at first because she wanted to kill Leo, her brother. But, a meeting with a certain white haired girl changed all that.

Rose…

(Flashback)

Kat was in the dojo, beating the stuffing out of a punching bag before tearing it to pieces with her sharp energy claws. She was still miffed at her inability to defeat the Titans, but at least she was able to severely injure her twin brother.

It just wasn't fair! Leo had all the luck! He had all the power and he got the name Draco! It was her right! She was the first born but was passed over for being a girl! She let out a telekinetic shockwave, creating a shallow crater under her feet. She sighed, calming herself down, before another thought angered her. Her brother just waltzed into town and got himself, not just friends, but a girlfriend!

Okay, so Draco never admitted that Jinx was his girlfriend, but the looks they gave one another was already an obvious hint. What infuriated her more was that he was still ALIVE!

She let out another snarl and smashed several stone bricks in with her fists. She dusted herself off and went into the shower. At least she had a good deal with Slade. He was rich and was willing to teach her to be a better villain that she'd ever hoped to be. Being kicked out from Yoshido's Black Knights Guild didn't even faze her, not one bit. That damn excuse of a God of Warriors just fired her for being overly obsessive, compulsive, impulsive and…to sum it all up, she was nuts.

She wasn't nuts, per say, just different. So she enjoyed torturing her opponents. What other evil Knight wouldn't? Regardless, Yoshido sent her packing. Oh well, at least she was allowed to keep her armor and powers. Why Yoshido never took them back was a mystery to her.

Back to the topic at hand, Kat had just taken a shower and was about to get dressed in the uniform Slade had given her. It was really a suit much like Terra's except in black and red, with claws on the boots and gauntlets. She also wore an orange and black mask that had two pointed cat ears on top and was open in the back to let her hair fall out free. The Slade insignia was within a red heart on her chestplate. Though not as powerful as her Cat Zodiac Armor, it still had its advantages, plus a few hidden surprises like a utility belt around her waist that held her Zodiac Deck firmly on it.

Wintergreen entered the training room and bowed. Kat liked him. He was like a grandfather figure to her. Her own grandfather didn't have time for her since he was so busy grooming Draco, another reason why she resented him. The old butler then relayed a message from Slade, "The master wishes to see you now, Miss Hasuma."

Kat, now Copycat nodded, "Thank you, Wintergreen." She bowed respectfully.

The old butler returned the gesture and disappeared slowly through the door. Kat always wondered how he could come and go without making a sound. However, she had no reason to ponder that question, she needed to see Slade.

Copycat padded through the large hallway of the large mansion and made her way to Slade's office. She knocked on the door and Slade's voice answer, "Katherine, I've been expecting you."

Copycat rolled her eyes. Slade had always alternated to calling her either Katherine or Copycat. He also called her Neko, once, and she angrily snapped, saying that only her mother had the right to call her that. Slade had glared at her then but let the matter slide.

"Come in," he continued.

Copycat slowly pushed the door open and it let out an eerie creek. She slowly entered and closed it behind her. The room was dark, without any light.

Suddenly, a spotlight lit up, revealing Slade sitting at his desk with Wintergreen standing obediently by his side. The villain had his hands folded under his chin and gave Copycat a scrutinizing stare.

Kat had never once called Slade 'master' so she opted by acknowledging him differently, "Slade-sama, what do you require from me?" she bowed, respectfully.

"Katherine…" Slade said, "How goes your training?"

Copycat smiled, "Very well, Slade-sama. Is that why you have called me here?"

"No," he said simply, "As a matter of fact I have a job for you."

"Job?" she inquired, "What kind of job?"

Slade turned his attention to his butler, "Wintergreen, would you be so kind as to fetch the children for me?"

Wintergreen nodded and walked away, going out through another door that lead out of the office. Copycat raised an eyebrow. Children? Did Slade have other apprentices living in the mansion? Then how was it that she had never seen them? Where had they been all this time?

"Copycat," Slade said to get her attention, "You must be wondering why I have asked to see you."

Copycat replied, "The thought did cross my mind, Slade-sama."

"Well, I would like you to meet…the family."

The door opened and entered three teenagers, two boys and a girl. The two boys were blonde and the girl had snow white hair. Copycat found herself captivated by the girl the most. A blush covered her face and she thanked the mask for covering it.

"These are my children. They had spent the last few months away in a boarding school and have only recently arrived. These are my sons, Grant and Joseph, and my daughter Rose…"

Rose…such a beautiful name.

That had been the first time they met.

After awhile, she got to know Slade's kids. Grant was arrogant, loud mouthed and had a bit of a temper. She knew how to put him in his place. Joseph, or Joey as he preferred, was mute and could only communicate telepathically. Rose, of course, was a little shy.

She got to know Rose and they became the best of friends. Then, they became more.

(End Flashback)

Kat pursed her lips and smiled. That was one of the only happy memories she's ever had and was precious to her. Tonight, she was going to show Rose how much she loved her, even if it killed her.

Strangely, Slade never said anything about her relationship with his daughter. He was either clueless or didn't care. Nevertheless, now wasn't the time to worry about that. She had to get dressed! It was almost time!

She quickly rifled through her clothes and suddenly, a Cheshire cat grin appeared on her face. She had found what she had been looking for. She quickly got dressed.

Minutes later, she was done, she looked herself in the mirror and smiled. She applied a little bit more make up and winked at her reflection. Her monster partner, Techno Panther, temporarily appeared in the mirror and gave her a thumb's up. She grinned.

She heard a knock on the door. She gasped, "That must be Rose! I can't let her see my room like this!" she then used her telekinesis and threw all the clothes into the closet, shoving them in and forcing the door close with her back pushing up against it. The closet door bulged out a bit, but didn't explode open. She breathed out a sigh of relief and answered the door, "I'm coming!" she turned the doorknob and opened it. Her jaw dropped and her eyes bulged.

"What's the matter?" Rose cooed, "Cat got your tongue?"

Kat would've fainted there and then. Rose was absolutely gorgeous!

To Be Continued…

Character Profile: Copycat

**Zodiac Knight Copycat **

Real Name: Neko Katherine Hasuma

Zodiac Animal: The Cat

Zodiac Power: Mimicry

Other Powers: Cat-like agility, senses and reflexes.

Weaknesses: She must first see a person use their powers to copy them.

Zodiac Beast: Techno Panther

Bio: Draco's nemesis and sister. Copycat has the power of the cat, which was also the animal left out of the Chinese Zodiac. Because of this, she has great animosity towards other members of the Chinese Zodiac. She hates the Rat, yes, but since she is jealous of her brother (Draco) she goes after him most of the time. This is an example of Sibling Rivalry gone bad as Copycat wants to completely annihilate Draco and his friends. As her name implies, Copycat can literally copy the powers of her opponent's. This makes her quite dangerous, especially since she was once a member of Yoshido's Black Knights Guild. She was literally kicked out for being completely nuts.

However, she is not totally heartless. She still cares for her mother and when someone messes with her mother, they mess with Copycat.

Copycat now works for Slade and is the leader of Team Tartarus, a team of Zodiac Knights made up of her, and three of Slade's kids; Aqua (Rose Wilson), ARMS (Grant Wilson) and Scissors (Joey Wilson). However, Slade has not told them fully of his plans even though they follow him loyally. In other words, they don't know he is working for Trigon.

She is in love with Rose.


	6. PT006: Spying Snake

Part 6: Spying Snake, Hidden Dragon

Shadowcobra and Draco were both sitting in the living room. Draco was looking at his darker friend. Shadow was quiet, as usual, but unusually, his eyes were glowing black and it was like he was in a trance.

"Anything yet?" Draco inquired.

Shadow got out of his trance as his eyes turned back to normal, "They're still just driving." He shook his head, "And Pluto's playing 'Who Let the Dogs Out'." He groaned, "I hate that song."

"At least he didn't start playing 'I Ain't Nothing Like a Hound Dog'," Draco replied.

Shadow sighed, "You're right."

Draco crossed his arms and pouted, "I just wish that I could see what they're doing."

Shadow rubbed his chin, "Maybe you can," he smirked.

"Huh?"

"Hold still," Shadow produced a shadow snake in his hand and advanced on Draco. The fire starter backed away.

"Where are you going to put that?" Draco asked, dreading the answer.

"Nowhere…just in your head," Shadow grinned, "Now, hold still."

"No way!" Draco leapt off the sofa and ran towards the door.

Shadow shook his head, sighing, "Why do they always want to have this done the hard way?" he summoned up a few shadows, creating a wall that blocked Draco's path. Draco turned.

"You're not going to put that in my head!" Draco screamed, summoning his fire powers.

Shadow sighed and made the snake and wall disappear, "Fine." Shadow moved his bangs away, "We'll just have to do this another way." His mark began to glow red.

"Shadow…" Draco blinked, "Your tattoo is glowing…"

"It's not a tattoo," Shadow hissed, "It's my birthmark." He turned sharply towards the TV and fired a crimson beam at it. A picture slowly began to appear. It was blurry at first but then became clear. They could hear voices from the blurry picture. It was Pluto and Blackfire.

"So, what movie you wanna see?" the Pluto onscreen asked the onscreen Blackfire.

"Wow…" Draco's eyes went wide.

"A little trick I learnt. Whatever my shadow snake sees, I can see, and what I can see I can project," Shadow smirked, his eyes glowing black like in his trance-like state.

"I'll go get the popcorn!" Draco volunteered.

Shadow shook his head, smiling, "Everyone loves these reality television things." He sat down on the sofa and looked directly at the screen to keep up the projection.

"Hey dudes!" Beast Boy walked in. He saw Draco in the kitchen popping the popcorn into the microwave and also saw Shadow watching TV. He then went to the latter.

"What're you watching?" Beast Boy asked.

Shadow joked, "My Date with a Human Dog."

"Really?" Beast Boy inquired, his interest peaking. He then noticed Shadow's eyes, "Hey, why are your eyes black?" he also noticed the mark on Shadow's forehead glowing red, "And what's with your tattoo?"

Shadow hissed, "It's not a tattoo, and my eyes are black beca-"

"Because we're spying on Pluto and Blackfire's date," Draco answered, holding a large bowl of popcorn. He sat down next to Beast Boy. Now Beast Boy was in between the two Knights.

"What? No butter?" Beast Boy looked at the popcorn.

"We don't have any butter," Shadow answered, "Draco finished the last bit of it for his butter toast."

"Hey, I love butter toast," Draco remarked, "Sue me."

"So," Beast Boy began eagerly, "What did I miss?"

"Nothing much. They're just talking," Shadow replied.

"So, how did you join the team?" Blackfire asked.

"Well, Karmen," Pluto smiled, "It was by accident, really. Shadow and I had to follow Draco. That little rookie gets into trouble all the time." He laughed.

"Karmen?" Beast Boy quirked an eyebrow, "Did he just call Blackfire Karmen?"

"Maybe it's an alias she decided to use," Shadow answered.

Draco's eyes narrowed as he growled, "Rookie…?"

"Really, Takada?" 'Karmen' giggled, "So, what's up with that friend of yours. The one that wears black and purple all the time?"

"Shadow? He's cool. But the guy is so uptight! He should loosen up! I mean, he takes things seriously all the time!" Takada replied. "I think he's got some issues or his underwear's riding up. Maybe he's chafing."

Draco and Beast Boy laughed as Shadow hissed, "Riding up? Chafing?"

"Now that's funny!" Beast Boy laughed.

"Yeah!" Draco chuckled.

"Shut up, Rookie," Shadow told him.

"So, got any special woman in your life?" Karmen asked.

"Maybe…" Takada said cryptically, "She has long black hair, these amazing purple eyes and has a strong spirit. And…" Takada smiled as he pulled into the drive in, "She's sitting right next to me."

Karmen blushed, knowing what he meant. She shyly tucked a strand of hair back behind her ear. "Thanks." She then looked at all the parked cars, "Where are we?" she asked.

"It's called a drive in," Takada answered.

"You mean those fast food places where you can order in your car?" she inquired.

"That's a drive thru," he told her, "This is where you can watch a movie in the comfort of your own car." He began exiting the car, "You want anything to eat? Popcorn? Soda? Candy? A variety of assorted junk food?"

Karmen rolled her eyes but smiled nonetheless, "A large soda, and a large popcorn, maybe."

Takada bowed, "Your wish is my command m'lady."

"Oh brother," Draco rolled his eyes.

"Is that how he always treats his dates?" Beast Boy asked, sipping a can of soda and shoving a handful of popcorn into his mouth.

"Pretty much," Shadow answered. "He's using the fact that he's a Knight as an excuse to be chivalrous." Shadow added, "Pretty slick, even for him."

"I'm back!" Takada jumped into the car, carrying a large popcorn and two large cups of soda with great difficulty.

"Great!" Karmen took the soda from him and took a sip, "Mmmm…I miss this." She sighed.

"You've never had soda?" Takada asked curiously, taking a sip from his soda.

"Not for a very long time. Then again, prisoners don't get special treatment."

Takada nearly choked on his soda, "Pri…prison?"

"I was in a Centauri prison a while back for stealing a Centauri Moon diamond," she looked at the ground sadly, "I regret it to this day."

"Hey…" Takada placed his hand on her shoulder, in an attempt to sooth her. "It's okay, people make mistakes. Look at me."

Karmen looked at him and he said, "I'm supposed to be an inventor, a genius, but I make mistakes too."

"A lot of them," Shadow muttered under his breath.

"But I never let them take me down," Takada continued.

"Have you ever tried to frame your sister for a crime you committed and then tried to get her married off to a big green slime alien?" Karmen asked.

"What?" Shadow's eyes widened.

"That's new," Takada said, eyes wide, "Even for me. But we all have things we regret doing and the only thing that we can do to make up for them is to live."

"Best advice he ever gave," Draco said.

"The only advice he ever gave," Shadow replied, "Unless you count his 'How to pick up and date girls' tips."

"True," Draco agreed.

"So, what're we watching?' Karmen asked.

"A classic James Bond movie, starring Sean Connery!" Takada said excitedly.

"Let me guess, he's a James Bond fan?' Beast Boy asked.

Draco and Shadow nodded. Shadow answered, "He has a large DVD collection of all the movies."

"And he collects the books too," Draco added.

"James Bond?" Karmen asked, "Is that Earth pop culture or something."

"Yep!" Takada told her, "James Bond is an international super spy who works for Her Majesty's secret service! He gets to go on all these cool missions, use far out gadgets, drive cool cars, fight evil super villains and he always get the girls…my favorite part."

"The only reason he watches is for the girls," Shadow remarked.

"So you wanted to be like him when you grow up?" Karmen asked.

"He's my hero!" Takada replied before adding, "Aside from my dad," he said this with a little sadness in his voice.

"Your dad must be proud of you now," she told him then noticed the look on his face. "What's wrong?"

"My dad…he's dead," Takada told her.

"I'm…I'm sorry…" she apologized, "I didn't know."

"Yeah, I don't talk about it much, the accident I mean."

"What happened?"

"Car crash," he began, "Me, my dad, mom and sis were in our car and then something just flew out in front of dad. He lost control of the car and crashed into a speeding truck. He died instantly. Only me, my mom and my sis survived."

Karmen gasped, "Oh my."

"My mom…my mom's in a coma. She hasn't woken up yet," he finished.

"Is that all true?" Beast Boy asked. Shadow nodded.

"He never told me," Draco said to Shadow.

"You had enough problems already, Draco. He kept this from you because he knew how this might affect you," Shadow told him.

"And he told you?" Draco asked.

"I found out myself," Shadow replied.

"Wow, now I know why Venus never talked about her folks," Draco realized.

Beast Boy was silent. Pluto's story was similar to his own. His own parents had died, leaving him the only one to survive.

"But that's all in the past," Takada put on a cheerful mask.

"Takada…" Blackfire whispered, scooting closer and resting her head on his shoulder.

"Karmen…?" he shuddered at the smell of her hair. It was nice and intoxicating. He couldn't quite place his finger on it but the smell calmed him down and brought him out of his funk. "Hey…the movie is about to start."

"What movie?" she purred, looking up at him and puckering up her lips. Takada eyes slowly closed as he leaned closer too.

"Oh man," Beast Boy gripped a nearby cushion.

"He's gonna kiss her," Draco said in anticipation.

That was when the screen went black.

"HEY!" the Dragon and Changeling exclaimed.

Shadow's eyes reverted to normal, "Let's give them some privacy."

"Privacy?" Draco retorted, "He raided our rooms and took our clothes, remember?"

"If we spy on this, it makes us no better than he is," Shadow chided, "Besides, we have all night and I'm hungry. Who's up for some dinner?"

To Be Continued…


	7. PT007: That Darn Kat

Part 7: That Darn Kat

"Does Grant know you borrowed his car?" Rose asked doubtfully, though she already knew the answer.

* * *

Back at the mansion…

"Joey? Have you seen my car?" Grant asked

Joey only shrugged as he watched TV.

* * *

"What he doesn't know won't hurt him. Sides, I'm team leader and I've got dibs on his ride," Kat retorted with a grin.

"That's kind of twisted," Rose told her.

"I know! And besides, my bike is still in the shop and I don't think my Knightrider was built for two people," Kat smiled at her, "Isn't it sweet? Now let's see what tunes are on the radio?"

Kat was speeding along the road in an emerald green convertible with a golden bull symbol on the hood. Obviously, it belonged to Grant a.k.a Zodiac Knight ARMS. However, it didn't seem like Kat cared nor respected Grant's personal space.

Kat was dressed in a black tank top that had a red cat symbol on it. She also had on a pair of tight blue jeans and high heeled boots. In her hair was her trademark black bow ribbon. Next to her, in the passenger side, was Rose. She was in a baby blue halter top and a black miniskirt that went to just above her knees. On her legs was a pair of knee high black platform boots. Her beautiful white hair blew in the wind gracefully and Katherine couldn't help but stare.

"You should keep your eyes on the road, Kat," Rose advised.

"Why? Nothing on the road is pretty," Kat complimented, making the silver haired girl blush. "Now, where should we go? The drive in? The night club? A fancy French restaurant that specializes in fish?" Kat listed.

"Only you would like the last one, Kat," Rose giggled.

"What? I like fish!" Kat pouted.

"I know," Rose smiled. They stopped at a stoplight. At the same time, another car filled with teenage punks pulled up beside them.

"Hey sweetcheeks!" one called out!

"Aooogah!" another one howled.

"Oh, I think I'm in love," another one, a black guy, swooned mockingly.

The punks continued to do cat calls and wolf whistles at the two girls. Kat was getting annoyed. She replied, "You know, that's not the way you should speak to a lady."

"What're you gonna do? Spank us?" the jerks laughed.

Kat and Rose looked at each other and giggled.

"Yep!" Rose began.

"And here's the paddle!" Kat sent out a blast of pink energy at the car. The car slowly fell apart starting with the wheels and then the engine blew out. Finally, only the frame remained. The thugs screamed but the two girls ignored them as they sped off.

"Jinx, right?" Rose asked.

"Yep! Nice power that girl has. But she really doesn't know how to use it to her advantage!" Kat laughed. Rose laughed as well as they continued on their way. Kat suddenly stopped. There was a traffic jam. She tapped her fingers on the steering wheel.

"Why is there a traffic jam at 8 pm?" she hissed.

Rose shrugged, "Who knows."

"Well, sometimes you got to make way," Kat's eyes glowed white as she chanted, "Azerath, Metrion, Zinthos!" the car began to glow black and levitated into the air. Rose gripped her seatbelt tightly as the car began flying.

"We're flying!" Rose exclaimed.

"Raven's power," Kat explained, "Really useful, but needs a lot of concentration." She advised Rose, "Hold on tight!"

Kat continued on their way and got to the drive in. Kat saw what was playing and stuck out her tongue, "Yuck! James Bond."

"You don't like James Bond?" Rose asked.

"His movies are all degrading to women. Women don't just drop their panties and go to bed with the first pretty man they see who's a charming flirt," Kat gritted her teeth, "So what if he's a wonder in the bed if he's an insensitive jerk!" she gripped the steering wheel tight. Rose noticed this and sweatdropped.

"You have issues with men, huh?" Rose observed.

"Not much. Just a few. My ex-boyfriend especially," Kat told her.

"Who?"

"Don't wanna talk about it," Kat replied coldly.

"Sorry," Rose looked hurt.

Kat sighed, "Sorry. I just don't wanna talk about it, kay Rose?'" she drove in and bought two tickets, "Let's watch the movie."

"I thought you didn't like James Bond," Rose stared at her.

"I don't," Kat shrugged, "But while we're here, might as well." She parked into an empty space, "Want anything? Candy? Soda? Popcorn?"

"I'll have anything you'll be having," Rose told her, "We'll share."

"Okay," Kat got out of the car, "Be right back."

Rose smiled as she saw Kat's retreating form, "She's so sweet," she sighed, "In a crazy cat kind of way."

Kat was at the refreshments stands to see someone standing in line. _He looks familiar…_ she thought. Of course, his back was facing her. She went over and tapped him on the shoulder.

"What?" he said, not bothering to turn around to face her.

"Listen, could you hurry up? My friend and I want to get some refreshments and I don't have all day!" Kat told him, feeling a familiar vibe coming from him.

"Well, just wait," he shot back.

"That's no way to talk to a lady!" Kat snapped. The guy finally turned.

"Why can't you just be-"

The two finally got a good look at one another.

"YOU!"

To Be Continued…

Uh-oh. This could be trouble. Now who else is at the drive-in? You know who I mean, right? Well, it's gonna be cats and dogs. Now, let's end the chapter with a card review.

**FUSION VENT**

Known User/Owner: Zodiac Knight Shadowcobra.

Function: Fuses two or more monsters together to form a more powerful creature.

Review: This card has been used on several occasions by Shadow since he joined the team. The first was when the Titans were facing Cinderblock, Overload and Plasmus, who then combined to form Ternion. Shadow used this card to combine Dragonzer, Cerberus and Genosnaker to even things out. The second time was when Shadow combined his three monsters, Genosnaker, Metalceros and Stingdiver, to form Genocide. This card is very rare and Shadow is the only known holder of this card at this time. This card is very powerful with its effect as the monster created has the combined power of all the monsters used to create it.


	8. PT008: Of Cats and Dogs

Part 8: Of Cats and Dogs

"What the Hell are you doing here?" Kat demanded, hissing venomously.

"I should ask you the same thing!" Takada barked back.

"I asked you first!" Kat retorted.

Takada sighed, "Well, if you must know, I'm on a date."

"Who is it this time?" Kat crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes.

"Blackfire, Starfire's sister," Takada answered proudly.

It took about 10 seconds for Katherine to process this bit of information before bursting into uncontrollable and insane laughter.

"What's so funny?" Takada fumed.

"Are you stupid or just insane?" she cackled, "Oh wait, that's true for you on both accounts!" she wiped the tears coming from her eyes. She calmed down a bit before continuing, "Do you have any idea what's she's capable of?"

"Do you?" Takada shot back.

Kat answered, "Eldest princess of the planet Tamaran and Starfire's older sister. The only Tamaranian born with black hair and violet eyes. Possesses super strength, flight and the ability to shoot out burst of energy through her hands and eyes called 'Blackbolts' in her case in contrast to her sister's Starbolts. Also, she has broken several laws, including stealing a Centauri Moon diamond and was incarcerated in a Centauri prison. Later, she escaped and took over Tamaran as grand ruler before her throne was usurped by Starfire." She crossed her arms and cocked an eyebrow in triumph.

"How…how did…" Takada stammered.

"How did I know?" Kat blew at her nails, "I looked it up. Slade has a very extensive record. Don't know how he gets the info but I'm glad I looked. Got a lot of dirt on your friends too."

"Okay, you've enlightened me," Takada placed his hands on his hips, "And I've told you why I'm here. Now what I want to know is why you're here."

"It's a drive-in, Mr. Obvious! I came to see a movie!" Kat stated. She muttered something under her breath.

"Wait," Takada cupped his hand around his left ear, "I heard you saying the word Rose…"

"Okay!" Kat shouted, "I'm on a date…with Rose."

Takada's eyes widened, "You're on a date…with a GIRL?"

"Well, what do ya expect?" Kat hissed, "After we broke up, I hated men for a very long time!"

"So you're saying it's my fault you hate men?" Takada pointed to himself.

"That's right, kibble-for-brains!" Kat poked him in the chest, "Because of you, I've lost trust in men entirely. Sure, you're nice to look at, but you're all macho and shallow beasts with brains in your pants!"

"Hey!" Takada snapped, "We're not all like that!"

"I know. Some of you are much worse!"

"Hello?" the guy at the concession stand interrupted, "Are you gonna order?"

"SHUT UP!" Takada and Kat blew up in his face. He ducked under the counter.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Takada shot back.

"What I mean is, you men, especially you, are the lowest evolved piece of trash I've had the dishonor to meet!" Kat shouted.

"Well, you weren't even a good girlfriend!" Takada barked.

"Why? Coz I didn't let you in my pants on the first date?" Kat huffed angrily, "You men are so immature!"

"Well, you're working for Slade, 'Little-Miss-I-Hate-Men'!" Takada did air quotes with his fingers.

"He's an exception," she countered.

"You're just a hypocrite!" Takada barked, "No wonder we broke up!"

"No, it's only because you were a narcissistic playboy who thought the world revolved around himself!" Kat corrected, "You were also a self centered, egotistical, dick-headed, jerk!"

"Why you little…" Takada growled, fists clenched.

"Bring it on!" Kat eyes narrowed into cat slits as her nails lengthened into full fledged claws. She then noticed Takada's clothes, "Hey are those my brother's shirt and pants?"

"Leo's? Yeah. I borrowed them," Takada suddenly lost his hostility.

"Looks nice on you," she complimented, "Makes your ass nice and tight."

"Thanks!" Takada grinned.

Kat sighed, "Okay, let's compromise. Tonight's my night off and I just wanna enjoy my time with Rose. How about we not get into each other's faces for the rest of the night?"

"Is this a truce?" he inquired, "You went back on your last one."

"No, I didn't. If you recall I only promised not to kill you before we got out of the VR world. I never said anything about after," she reminded.

"I guess…You have been known to keep your promises," he rubbed his chin as he stared at her skeptically, "How do I know this is legit?"

Kat smiled sweetly and winked, "Come on," she coaxed, "For old times sake?" she extended her hand.

"Okay, but remember that I don't fully trust you," Takada took her hand and shook it. "Now, let's get some snacks."

Kat smiled, "Finally, something we both can agree on."

* * *

"I'm back!" Takada reentered the car, carrying an armful of snacks.

"Where were you?" Blackfire asked.

"Oh, just met an old friend. We kinda had a chat. Sorry," he told her.

* * *

"I'm back, Rosy!" Kat smiled, carrying an armful of snacks.

"Where were you? I was waiting for you!" Rose pouted, crossing her arms.

Kat rolled her eyes and smirked, "Just met an old friend and talked about old times."

"Okay, I guess." Rose noticed the snacks and her eyes lit up, "Hey, are those Bon-bons?"

To Be Continued…

**Zodiac Knight Pluto**

Real Name: Yoshiyuki Takada

Zodiac Animal: The Dog

Zodiac Power: Immortality and Invulnerability

Other Powers: A Super Genius and dog-like senses.

Weaknesses: Lack of common sense, a big flirt.

Zodiac Beasts: Cerberus and Darkwing

Bio: Although he is the one of the most experience Knight there is, maturity isn't something to associate with this guy. Pluto acts like any normal teenager and likes to have fun. He often goes on dates every night and with a different girl each time. He is also a mechanical genius and likes to do experiments with anything mechanical. Of course, his love for mechanics has often gotten him into trouble. He originally became a Zodiac Knight to save his mother's life. She went comatose after an accident that took the life of her husband and Pluto's father. Pluto and his sister survived unharmed because they had been born with Zodiac Powers. His was Immortality and Invulnerability. With his sister, they fought to revive their mother from a coma. However, even so, it still does not dampen his cheerful, or flirtatious, personality.

Pluto has formed a tight friendship with Beast Boy and Cyborg. He mostly connects with Cyborg since they both have a lot in common and they both scheme and build things a lot. Beast Boy on the other hand is good company, even if he has a bad sense of humor.

Pluto may be a mechanical genius but he lacks a lot in common sense and is accident prone. He is reminded constantly about the "Giant Vegetable" incident and his only response was, "Okay, maybe I shouldn't have used plutonium." Pluto, according to Shadowcobra, was an even bigger fire hazard compared to Draco, believe it or not.

He now strives to become a one woman dog…I mean man. He is dating Blackfire but some of his old flirtatious traits still seep through, earning him a few beatings from his new (and hopefully permanent) girlfriend.

He gains new powers overtime while with the Titans and always accidentally.

Pluto got his codename due to his ability to attain plutonium from god knows where. He holds one of the three Survivor Cards.


	9. PT009: Memories of Yaminekoryu

Part 9: Memories of Yaminekoryu

Hello there! If you folks are wondering who I am, my name is Yaminekoryu! Well, that doesn't exactly tell you much, does it now? To put it simply, I am the demonic spirit that lives in Ryuki's head. I have my own room and I have a TV that shows me everything from Ryuki's viewpoint. The room is pretty comfy and I have nearly full reign here since I can see Ryuki's memories as clear as day. My job is to guide the young kid on his journey as a warrior and a Zodiac Knight. I've been doing this job for over 8 centuries like I did for the kid's father, his father's father and so on.

How did I come to be in the kid's head? Funny story really. I am really a very old demon. Don't ask for my age because I don't even remember it anymore since I've been stuck in this form, playing spirit guide to the Hasuma clan. Anyway, 800 years ago, I did battle with one of the kid's ancestors. It lasted over 5 days and nights until the guy weakened me enough to seal me since he was also too weak to destroy me. The only thing he could do was to seal me in himself. He knew that with his passing, I would escape, so he made sure that I would pass on to his first born son upon his birth and since then, I've been in people's heads.

Back then, I wasn't really the nicest of guys and well I was evil. I'm a demon, sue me! But being in the Hasuma family, even as a spirit guardian, has taught me to be a little…nicer. Don't get me wrong! If I ever get my own body, I won't hesitate to cause havoc! The kid knows this and well, I compensate by being a little bit of a jerk. I've only liked two people so far that I've been trapped in: the kid and his old man. They actually talk to me and don't simply ignore me. Plus, they are both psychics and they allow me to get out in spectral form. It may not be my physical body, but I do like to go out once in awhile. Being cooped up in my room for the last few centuries almost drove me mad with cabin fever. Out of all my hosts, I like the kid the most. He even lets me take over his body when he can't mentally handle a battle. Of course, one bad thought and I'm back in my room. Sigh.

Anyway, I only manifested to the kid on his 15th birthday. That was the same day he became a Zodiac Knight. I became his guide and helped him with his battles, allowing him to use battle techniques his ancestors before him had used and some of my own. Being a spirit guide this long allows me to retain the memories of all my past hosts and the kid needs all the help he can get. Believe me he's just as innocent and naïve as his old man, although, not by much, but enough to prove that he is his son.

I'm a bit worried of my existence being known to the Snake. Boy, he's sensitive. He almost found out my existence once. If I though the Snake's father was bad, he's much worse. This kid is even scarier and that's when he's not pissed. I try my best to hide myself. I'm scared to think of what he might do if he ever found out. Now that Raven chick is scary and I think she's on to me or something. Then again, what could you expect from the daughter of Trigon, eh?

Right now, the kid has joined a team of heroes called the Teen Titans. Original name. I remembered when I met the real Titans when I went to visit Greece all those centuries ago. Let me tell you, those guys are not the nicest people and they think they're all that! No wonder Zeus locked them up. Okay, getting back to the topic at hand. The Teen Titans. The kid, the Snake and the Dog joined this little team of heroes for who knows what reason.

Anyway, Ryuki has found himself the perfect girl for him. She ain't nothing like that Swan girl, Venus of Virgo. Her name's Jinx and she's a witch. A very pretty and cute witch I might like to add. Anyway, the kid first met her on his first day as a Titan. He kicked her partners' butts but didn't even lift a finger on her. He was attracted by her hair. It was pink and tied up into pigtail that looked like bullhorns or something. A unique hairstyle if I do say so myself. You may not know this, but Ryuki is attracted to bright hair colors and the girl had this sort of attractive aura around her. Maybe it was the magic. Anyway, Ryuki developed a crush on this girl without knowing it. I guided him on how to win the girl over to the good side. He gave her this speech about how she could do so much good with her powers and to put icing on the cake, he gave her a bouquet of flowers. Red roses always did the trick.

Anyway, later, the girl came around and began flirting and hanging around the kid. The other Titans didn't trust her. I couldn't blame them. Before, they were enemies and now they were expected to trust Jinx. Trust is not that simple a thing. Of course, she already won Ryuki's trust.

Then, Jinx gets kidnapped and the kidnapper leaves a note for Ryuki. Ryuki heroically goes to the rescue and battles another Zodiac Knight. It was the Snake! Unbelievable! Of course, after a few minutes of battle, it turned out that the Snake wasn't who he seemed. It was actually the Cat in disguise. They fought then the Cat turned to attack Jinx. Ryuki blocks the hit with his own body, risking his very life to save the pink haired cutie. It proved how much he cares for her.

Well, I guess that Jinx finally saw a part of Ryuki that made him a hero; his selflessness. Plus, he always sees the good in people.

Anyway, they began falling for one another and then Jinx almost gets raped by this biker punk fellow. Man, was Ryuki pissed off. If it wasn't for the other Titans, Johnny would probably be barbequed 10 times over. He later finds out that Jinx had been sexually assaulted in the past. Boy, was Ryuki mad. Jinx almost killed herself one night. Luckily Ryuki was there and sealed the wound with his fire power. That's how much he cares That night, they shared their first kiss.

Then she asked him on a date. Up to my knowledge so far, Ryuki has only dated one girl in his whole life. It was The Virgo Knight, Venus, and the Dog's little sister. Boy, Ryuki had to go to almost all the boys on the team for advice and nearly roasted that Cyborg alive before coming to me. Of course, I wasn't any help either.

I'm a demon, what do ya expect?

Anyway, the Titans, mostly Ryuki the Dog and Snake fought some monsters called Plasmus, Cinderblock and Overload that later combined into Ternion. We beat them easy. Later, that night, Jinx and Ryuki went out on their first date. There were tagalongs and a few surprises, but nothing too bad. The date ended not too badly.

Then we got attacked by a Movie monster. Lame, I know. But I have a nagging feeling that the monster was sent somehow. Oh well, not going to worry about that.

Oh, I forgot to mention that Ryuki's mother came to visit. Believe it or not, she was a superhero too. She called herself Thunderfox back in the day. Don't know if she still is. Maybe, I'm just guessing.

Anyway, she was just as beautiful as I remembered back when I was in her husband's head. She even gave the Titans new uniforms and got the girls to do a fashion show. Also, Ryuki got lucky! Wohoo! Go kid!

We also faced the Gamemasters. Those guys were L-A-M-E, Lame! Just a bunch of geeks and losers who think they can fight. Yeah right. They even had help from that British freak Mad Mod. I thought he learnt his lesson. We beat them easy but thay are still at large. By the way, we got a new member, Starfire's older sister Blackfire. She's really hot and kinda reminds me of this demon girl I used to…never mind. It's none of your business. I think the Dog likes her.

Then again, they are on a date right now.

I have to stop now, my Aibou, Ryuki, is gonna spy on the date some more with the Snake and the Changeling. But not before dinner.

See you later.

To Be Continued…

**Zodiac Knight Draco**

Real Name: Ryuki Leonard Hasuma

Aliases: Dragon Knight, Dragon of Combustion, Red.

Zodiac Animal: The Dragon

Zodiac Power: Combustion

Other Powers: Telekinesis, pyrokinesis (Fire manipulator), teleportation, flight, cat-like reflexes, senses, agility and strength.

Weaknesses: Too trusting and naïve. He tries to see the good in people. He also has a fiery temper. Afraid of thunderstorms and water and can't swim. Chocolate makes him go hyper.

Zodiac Beasts: Dragonzer, Razorclaw, Overbite, Hardhead, Brainstorm and Wildcat

Bio: He's hot in every sense of the word. With flaming red hair and emerald green eyes, this guy attracts the ladies every time. Unfortunately, he's completely dense!

Draco is the first Zodiac Knight to join the Titans. He possesses some psychic abilities and can manipulate fire. Draco was born with the Dragon Zodiac Power of Combustion, allowing him to shoot fireballs from his hands. Combined with his pyrokinetic abilities, Draco can literally reshape the flames into anything he wants. Later, he realizes he can fly and breathe fire. How cool is that?

Draco has also developed a romance with a certain ex-HIVE agent called Jinx. Her pink hair and eyes attracted the dragon knight who then gives Jinx a chance as a Titan. Suddenly developing a crush on Draco, the witch eagerly accepts.

Draco's contract beasts or Zodiac Beasts are Dragonzer (main), Razorclaw, Wildcat, Hardhead, Brainstorm and Overbite. Draco is also the sole owner of one of the 3 legendary Survivor cards.

When approaching Draco remember one rule: Don't Piss Him Off. Draco maybe docile and kind at times but if you push the wrong buttons, there's gonna be Hell to pay. Draco can get a little angry sometimes and go absolutely ballistic.

When angered, Draco taps into the power of Yaminekoryu, a demonic spirit forever sealed within his family bloodline. Cursed with the burden of having the spirit within him, Draco resorts to Tai-Chi exercises to keep his anger, and the demon at bay. Of course, Yaminekoryu does come out, but fortunately, not for the sake of destruction.

Draco can't swim and is extremely afraid of water. He is also afraid of thunderstorms due to the loud noises. He is also not allowed to have any chocolate. Once, when he had consumed a lot of chocolate, he went completely nuts and hyper.

Draco's reason for becoming a Knight was to protect humans from monsters. He later added finding the truth about his father to his reasons.


	10. PT010: Movie Mayhem

Part 10: Movie Mayhem

Takada had to play it cool. He was in his car on a date with Blackfire/Karmen. Unfortunately, his ex, Leo's twin sister, and enemy, was parked right next door. It was like some insane writer was screwing his life around like he was a fanfic character that functioned merely as comic relief.

_Well, if there is a writer screwing around with my life, COULD YOU PLEASE LEAVE ME ALONE?_

"Something wrong Yoshi?" Karmen asked, concerned. "You're zoning out a lot tonight."

Takada placed his hand behind his head and apologized, "Sorry. I have a lot on my mind these days."

"Like what?" Karmen was interested.

"Just some stuff I want to invent and build," he told her.

"So, you're an inventor?" Karmen asked, intrigued, slightly.

"More or less. I just have this knack with machinery. It could be my metahuman ability or just natural skill," he answered.

"It could be a metahuman mutation, y'know, or you're just smart," she leaned closer.

"Thanks, Karmen," Takada blushed as he rubbed the back of his head.

Meanwhile, in the car next door, Rose was watching the movie. Kat on the other hand was plotting.

_Maybe I can track down those Gamemasters and kill them for their powers? Nah! That would be a waste of time and effort. Those geeks are probably long gone by now._ She sighed, _Remember Kat…this is your night off and you need to relax. Slade-sama is obviously pissed with you for wrecking his androids. I don't know why…I mean, aren't they what they're for, training purposes? Oh well._

"Kat…" Rose began, "Is something wrong?"

Kat shook her head, "N-No. Why do you ask?"

"You seem to zone out a lot these days. Why?"

"It's nothing, really. I was just thinking."

"You mean plotting," Rose narrowed her eyes and pouted, "You promised to take the night off!"

Kat raised her hands in defeat, "Okay! Okay! I'll take a break! Don't kill me, please!" she laughed.

Rose giggled and leaned against her friend before letting out a contented sigh.

_Maybe I should just relax and enjoy the movie. Although…I don't really care for James Bond._

Takada eyed Karmen from the corner of his eye. He took in a deep breath and yawned, raising his arms over his head. He rested his left arm over the back the driver side door and his right arm over Karmen's shoulders. She nearly jumped at the contact before leaning in closer.

Kat mused. _The old yawning trick._ _You never change, do you, Yoshi-kun?_ She copied Takada's trick and now had Rose leaning closer to her. The two girls cuddled. Rose let out another sigh, enjoying the attention. _This night could not be any better._

Takada gulped and stared Karmen in the eye. His player instinct were taking over as he took Karmen's chin in his hand and turning her head gently so that he was facing him. He took in a deep breath and closed his eyes before leaning in closer. Carman knew what was to come so she closed her own eyes and puckered.

Kat had puckered up her lips and was about to steal a kiss from Rose. Rose would not know what hit her. They were gonna make out like crazy in the drive-in. After all, that was what these places were for.

Of course, luck wasn't on their side as they both heard a familiar ringing sound.

_DAMN!_ The Dog and Cat both mentally swore.

"Yoshi?" Karmen questioned.

"Kat?" Rose blinked, confused.

"I…er…" Takada stuttered, "I got to go, Karmen." He quickly pecked her lips, "Something came up!"

"Kat…" Rose began, "It's a monster, isn't it?"

"Yeah…" Kat scratched her cheek. "But I'll be back, my darling white rose…" she purred as she ran her hand through the white haired girls hair before giving her a short, yet sweet, kiss. "You didn't by any chance bring your Zodiac Deck with you?" Rose shook her head. "Then I'm gonna be doing this alone."

"Be careful…" Rose told her. Kat nodded.

"I will."

Karmen grabbed Takada by the arm before pulling him into a deep and passionate kiss. Fireworks were going off in his head like the 4th of July. Takada nearly found himself lost in the kiss before the ringing won his attention again.

"Be careful, okay? We have a date to finish," Karmen informed him with a wink.

Takada winked back, "Gotcha." He pulled out his Zodiac Deck and looked straight at the rear view mirror. He said, quietly, "Zodiac Force, Dog."

Kat did the same thing, "Zodiac Force, Cat."

Both Zodiac Knights were encased in their armors and entered the mirrors, leading them straight to the Mirror Dimension.

* * *

Mirror Dimension, you know what it is, alternate world existing side by side with our own world and all that stuff and has monsters living inside. Well, Pluto and Copycat have arrived. They were now in the Mirror Dimension version of the drive-in and were in the parking lot.

Pluto exited his Knightrider and drew his sword. He turned his head to his right and noticed the black and red clad Copycat had also hopped out of her vehicle as well.

"What're you doing here?" Pluto demanded, reaching for his sword.

Copycat scowled, "What else? I heard the monster signal too." She clicked her claws, "And I'm gonna get it first."

Pluto snorted, "Yeah right!" his bat wings spread out, "Just don't get in my way." He took to the skies. Copycat looked up and narrowed her eyes as the red eyepieces of her helmet glowed red.

"Funny," she snickered, "I was going to say the same thing to you." She used the special cat-like earpieces of her helmet and focused her sharp hearing to find the creature. She heard a sound like running behind her and turned around. Nothing but cars. She tensed and reached for her whip.

That was when IT happened.

A large blur just crashed right through the cars, slamming them away before bashing straight into the Cat Knight, sending her flying and crashing onto the roof of a car. She slammed in and made a large dent with a sickening crash. She snarled and flipped out of the wreckage, completely pissed. She narrowed her eyes and identified the creature.

"Shieldaphant…" she hissed.

Shieldaphant was a large bi-pedaled monster, about 6 feet tall, covered in thick metal armor that had spikes on the shoulders, knees, and around its head. On its torso was a large shield design after an elephant. Upon hearing its name, the monster slammed its large fist together and let out a loud trumpet, before charging at Copycat.

"Bring it on," she challenged, going into a combat pose. She was ready to rip this creature apart, piece by piece.

That is, until Pluto got in her way.

"It's mine!" Pluto barked as he landed in front of her and slammed the creature away with his large lances. Copycat snarled.

"That thing was MINE!"

Pluto shook his head, "You're welcome, Kat…"

"I don't need your help, Yoshi-dog!"

"Well, I think you do, Kitty-cat!"

The two Knight glared at each other as large cross veins appeared on their helmet covered heads and lightning sparked from their concealed eyes. Shieldaphant took the chance to escape from the area during the heated argument. Both Pluto and Copycat were too wrapped up in their argument that they didn't notice until it was too late.

"Now look what you did!" Copycat screamed.

"Me?" Pluto barked back, "I would've gotten it if you hadn't got in my way!"

"Your way?" Copycat snorted, "Puh-leaze! It was clearly mine! You just hate to be shown up by a girl…"

Pluto gritted his teeth and met Copycat glare for glare. He then issued a challenge, "How about this: The first one to get that thing tonight, before midnight, wins." He crossed his arms.

Copycat smirked, "Interesting…very well." She then remembered something, "Let's go back to the real world. Our dates must be waiting for us."

"Finally, something we both can agree upon."

_Idiotic dog…_Copycat thought.

_Dumb cat…_Pluto smirked.

To Be Continued…

And Hotshot45, please send me your e-mail next time, kay?

Oh and another card review:

**FINAL VENT**

Function: Activates finishing attack

Owner(s): All Zodiac Knights.

The Final Vent card is a card a Zodiac Knight uses to activate their special attack, or attacks, depending on the number of monsters he/she possesses. The power of each Final Vent varies but they all, generally, cause a lot of damage on the target. The most famous Final Vent is Draco's Dragon Combustion Kick. Another powerful one is Shadowcobra's Darkhole Crash. The more powerful the Knight and monster combination, the more powerful the Final Vent is.


	11. PT011: Dinner Date

Part 11: Dinner Date

"You're back," Beast Boy observed as Shadowcobra and Draco leapt out of the window before their armors disappeared.

"It got away!" Shadow hissed as he punched his fist into his open palm.

"The monster?" Beast Boy inquired. Shadow nodded and hissed. "Touchy, ain't he, dude?"

Draco shrugged, "He's a perfectionist" He then changed the subject, "Alright," said Draco, "We've left them alone long enough. Can we spy on them again?" he pleaded, "Please?"

"Yeah dude! This is better than reality TV shows!" Beast Boy threw up his fists.

Shadow sighed. He thought, _It's_ _a good thing that Robin and Cyborg aren't here. Also, I'm worried about what Raven and Starfire may think of me spying on the mongrel and Blackfire. Don't know what Terra may think. However, I am bored._ "Ok," he agreed. He concentrated and his eyes turned black while his birthmark began glowing red and acted as a projector, projecting the images seen through the eyes of his Shadow Snake spy. The view was no longer that of the drive-in but in front of a very posh French restaurant.

Beast Boy groaned, "We missed it…"

Draco told him, "Serves you right. We wasted two full hours cleaning up the mess you and Cyborg caused. What a waste of food."

"Cy started it!" Beast Boy pointed out.

"Even so, you shouldn't have gotten into a food fight in the first place!" Shadow hissed.

"It ain't my fault Star got into it too!" Beast Boy countered.

"She thought it was an Earth dinner custom and you know how much she wishes to learn about Earth culture," Shadow reminded. "Plus that monster alert did come at a bad time. An hour wasted looking for a monster."

"I know…" Draco rubbed his back and groaned in discomfort, "That thing got me in the back."

Beast Boy cut in, "Can we get on with it? We're missing the good stuff!"

"Too bad my Shadow Snake can't go in unnoticed." He smirked, "I know…" he raised his palm and conjured up a ball of shadow energy. The energy then reformed into the form of a small flying rodent. "One of my aerial Shadow Bat spies might be useful." He ordered the Bat, "Go." The small bat of shadows spread out its black wings and flapped, flying out of its master's palm and through the wall. Shadow rested his arms behind his head as the view shifted from the restaurant doors to that of the aerial view of Jump City at night.

"Amazing…" Draco admired, "The lights are all so pretty…"

"You see one light, you've seen em all…" Beast Boy said nonchalantly, "Can't you hurry up?"

Shadow narrowed his eyes at BB and hissed, "Be patient, Logan!" Beast Boy gulped and backed away.

The bat continued to fly through the air, taking in all the sights for its master. It found its target, the restaurant, and immediately phased through the wall unnoticed. It situated itself on a chandelier and clung to it, hanging upside down and folding in its wings. Its red eyes scanned the area and found what, or more specifically, whom it was looking for.

Shadow flashed a grin, "Got it."

Takada, like a gentleman, had pulled out a chair for Karmen and she sat down. The place was a formal place so the two went into bathrooms at the drive-in to get changed.

Takada now wore the blue tuxedo he had worn on his Dinner with Draco's Mom and Super Supermodel (They Really Put Super in Supermodel). Karmen was clad in a beautiful black cheongsam with a pearl necklace and matching ear rings. On her feet were high healed shoes. The Cheongsam had a golden fire design.

"Where did Blackfire get that dress?" Draco admired.

"She looks HOT!" Beast Boy whistled.

Shadow rolled his eyes, "She got it on her shopping trip with the girls. The jewelry escapes me though."

Takada leaned down so his lips were close to Karmen's ear. He whispered something and Karmen blushed before giggling. Takada took a seat across from her at the table they were sharing.

"Nice place," Karmen smiled as she gave Takada a sensuous look with lidded eyes as she rested her chin in her hands as her elbows rested on the table.

"Ichijyo told me about it. He has really good taste, believe it or not," Takada replied.

Both Draco and Beast Boy stared at Shadow. He only shrugged.

"Did he take Raven to dinner here?" Blackfire asked.

"Don't really know. He never talks to me about his private life," Takada answered.

Shadow frowned, "Which is a good thing, blabber mouth." He then noticed something, or someone, at the door. "Oh no."

"What?" Draco raised an eyebrow. The view shifted and zoomed at a familiar female couple walking in clad in fancy dresses. Draco recognized one as, "Kat…?"

"Hey, dude," Beast Boy munched on some popcorn, "Isn't that your sister?"

Takada apologized, "Sorry about what happened back at the drive in." he rubbed the back of his head nervously.

"It's okay. You were just doing your job." She placed a hand on his and the sensation sent chills up the Dog Knight's spine. If he had a tail, he would've been wagging it.

"_What is Kat doing there?_" Draco asked Shadow in Japanese.

"_I sense no malicious intent coming from her, Hasuma-san. It seems that she only wishes to partake in…a date._"

"_A date?_" Draco scratched his head, "_But, Ichijyo-san, she is with a girl._"

Shadow narrowed his eyes and then whispered something into Draco's ear.

"_SHE'S WHAT?" Draco gasped._

"Dudes!" Beast Boy shouted, "Do you come with subtitles?"

The two Knights glared at the changeling.

"Nice and peaceful," Kat sighed as she looked at the menu.

"I agree," Rose admired, "Thanks for taking me here." She smiled at Kat. Kat felt her cheeks heat up and she hid her flushed face from behind the menu.

"You're…welcome," Kat said, blushing. Rose giggled at her friend's behavior.

"My sister…my sister…" Draco kept repeating, eyes wide open with shock

"Is he gonna be okay?" Beast Boy asked as he examined the catatonic dragon Knight, "It looks like you broke him."

"He'll be fine," Shadow shrugged. _He's just in shock about his sister's sexual orientation._

_I always thought she was different. But this? This takes the cake,_ Draco thought.

A waiter came to Takada and Karmen's table to take their order. At the same time, another waiter had come to take Kat and Rose's order.

The teens made their orders and the waiters left. This left some time for polite conversation.

* * *

Meanwhile, outside in space, a Centauri police ship was hovering in Earth's orbit. The same crab-like aliens, knows as Centauri police clicked his fingers and claws together.

"I will apprehend you, Blackfire, if it's the last thing I do," he turned to another Centauri police officer. "Release the drones." The officer saluted and released the pink, almost jellyfish/octopus looking, drones and sent them to Earth to track down Blackfire.

"You are mine, Tamaranian wench!" he growled.

To Be Continued…

**MIGHTY VENT**

Function: Increases power of weapons

Known holders: Draco, Shadowcobra, Pluto. Possibly, all Knights have one.

The Mighty Vent card is a very useful card used by the Knights in several occasions. It gives a powerful, but temporary, boost of power to the Knights' weapons. The glow around the weapon is the energy being drawn from the card. Each glow has its own unique color according to the Knight using the card. Example: Red for Draco, blue for Pluto and Purple for Shadowcobra.

It is unknown, currently, if the Mighty Vent card has any further function as yet to be seen

**OVER SOUL**

Definition: The ability for a Knight to change his/her monster(s) into spiritual energy and combine it with a medium, be it a weapon or him/herself. Draco and Shadowcobra have been seen to use this ability on two occasions. It gives a massive power increase to the medium and changes its form. When Over Soul is used to combine the monster with the user, instead, the user will exhibit abilities and traits similar to the monster, but with no physical alterations. This version of Over Soul is yet to be seen. Only Knights with psychic abilities can use Over Soul. Other Knights who can possibly use Over Soul in the future are Rose (ZK Aqua) and Joey (ZK Scissors) Wilson as they both possess special psychic abilities. Kat (ZK Copycat) may be able to use Over Soul as well since she is a telepath.


	12. PT012: Raving Lunatics

Part 12: Raving Lunatics

It was a half hour after Takada, Karmen, went to the restaurant. The Dog Knight had ordered himself a Steak Tartar with a side of salad while the Tamaranian princess/outlaw had herself a dish of Escargot. To those who don't know what it is; it's snail. Takada gagged at her choice of food while she savored each and every bite. She enjoyed it and he paid for it with a black credit card that had an SB emblem on it. They also had sparkling water and for desert they had chocolate cake.

Kat and Rose were at a table, thankfully, far away from Takada and his date. Kat had ordered herself a salmon fillet bathed in a thick lemon sauce and a side of crème. Rose had the same thing and they enjoyed their meal with glasses of milk.

Both couples were silent but their eyes and expressions spoke more than words.

Speaking of expressions being louder than words, Draco was speaking a mouthful…of drool.

"Fish…" he licked his lips. A bucket had been placed under him to catch the saliva.

"This always happens," Shadow rolled his eyes.

"How long is he gonna be like that?" Beast Boy asked.

"Knowing him, a couple of hours." He noticed Karmen and Takada were about to leave, "Hey, they're getting ready to leave!"

The black shadow bat turned itself invisible and followed after Takada and Karmen into the car. It stayed in the back seat with the Shadow Snake that was coiled up and fast asleep.

"Well, time for that rave," Takada smiled.

"We should get changed first," Karmen suggested.

"We'll do that when we get there. Now let's get ready to PARTY!" Takada howled as he put the pedal to the metal.

"Party animal," Shadow muttered.

* * *

(15 minutes and a traffic jam later.)

Takada's car pulled up in front of the large abandoned warehouse. The sound of music blaring through the walls could be heard as well as the flashes of light coming out through the open windows. The two Titans had switched back to the clothes they had worn earlier on their date and threw them behind them on the back seat. Takada got out first and then went to Karmen's side, opening the door for her. She giggled at his chivalry and took his hand. The Shadow Snake and Bat watched as the pair left the car before making their moves. The snake slithered out of the car while the bat flew out. The shadow creatures followed after the pair into the warehouse.

Not long after, an emerald green car pulled up and two girls came out. It was Kat and Rose back in the clothes they started with.

"Party time," Kat purred and took Rose's hand. "Let's go."

Rose stared at the warehouse and listened to the music. She felt slightly skittish. Kat placed a hand on her cheek and stroked it gently, lightening the mood.

"Relax, Rose," Kat purred.

Rose nodded, "Alright, Kat."

The 15 year old daughter of Slade went in with the 17 year old Cat Knight to enjoy themselves.

"I didn't know there was a party!" Beast Boy exclaimed.

Draco's eyes were wide, "Pretty colors…"

Shadow groaned. Draco always went like this when he saw bright and colorful lights. It reminded him of the last Christmas they spent back home when the Dragon Knight just stared at the Christmas tree without as much as a blink. "I guess Pluto didn't want to be interrupted. This is after all his date with Karmen."

Beast Boy shrugged, "I guess. But he should've told us."

Shadow shook his head and turned his attention back to the screen. He was now showing two points of view; one from the snake and one from the bat.

The Shadow Bat was hanging from the rafters and looking down at all the dancing teens. The snake had situated itself in a strategic location, taking in all the sights and making sure no one saw it. Therefore, Shadow had views from the ground and from the air.

That was when he noticed Kat and Rose dancing together not very far away from Takada and Karmen. He winced. What were the odds of the two couples being at all the same date locations at the same time. _Must be Murphy's Law at work_ he mused.

Karmen was dancing the same way she did in 'Sisters' while Takada had to do his best to keep up with her. Of course, he didn't need to try, he was already a good dancer. She twirled around and placed a finger under his chin before moving it to the strands of hair sticking out of his forehead and flicking one of them playfully. Takada danced with her, pumping to the fast pace music with absolutely no trouble. It was like they were able to tell each others' moves. Karmen looked so beautiful and Starfire's uniform just heightened that sensuous aura around her.

Kat and Rose were dancing and attracting attention from some nearby guys. One of them asked Kat if she wanted to dance, but she downright refused. She was able to use her flirtatious personality to get him to get her and Rose some drinks. Her cat-like eyes narrowed as her lips formed into a Cheshire cat grin. Rose smiled. Kat knew how to take care of herself.

Karmen then took Takada flying up to the roof and through the skylight. No one seemed to be paying attention as they were too busy dancing. Of course, Kat saw them both clearly. As a super villainess and apprentice to Slade, she should be going after them and teaching them a lesson. But instead, she went back to dancing with Rose. She didn't need to go nuts for no reason, especially tonight, less she ruined her chances with Rose.

"Beautiful night, isn't it?" Karmen asked. Takada admired the stars and nodded.

"Yes, you are," he said before he could stop himself. He bit his lower lip as he flushed. Karmen heard what he had said and blushed as well.

"Thanks…" she ran her hand through her hair. "You know, this reminds me of when I tried to get my sister captured by Centauri police," she admitted, a tinge of sadness in her voice. "I'm so sorry."

"I'm sure you are, Karmen," Takada said softly.

"I was so jealous of Star. She had everything I didn't, including the love of our parents."

"Why?"

"Well, I was born…different from other Tamaranians. I was the only one with black hair and violet eyes. There was a scandal surrounding my birth as my mother, the queen, was accused of having an affair with one of the Green Lanterns that visited Tamaran. I was treated very much like a freak," she began crying.

"That's…that's horrible," Takada said.

"Well, after little Star was born, that all changed. She was normal and because of that was fit to rule and became the crown princess, a position that should be mine by birthright for being the first born! But no…I was a freak!"

"I know how you feel…" Takada said softly, wrapping his arms around her.

"How can you? Have you ever been treated like a freak before?" she demanded hotly.

"Yes. When I was a kid, lots of kids in my class avoided me because they saw me as a know-it-all. After the accident that took my dad's life and put my mother in a coma, I was a freak, a social outcast, even my little sister," he told her.

"I'm…I'm sorry," Karmen apologized. Takada's life wasn't easy either.

"Well, I did survive unscathed and so did my sister. No one could explain how we were the only ones safe without injuries at all. It was just my sister and me and we lived on the insurance money my dad left. I grew…bitter and when I became a Zodiac Knight I decided to fight for my family…" Takada finished.

"Wow…" Karmen was silenced by awe.

"Yep, but that all changed when I met Draco. He treated me and my sis with kindness, the kindness we've missed all our lives. I guess he rubbed off on me a bit. It was a long time after the accident before I was able to smile again."

"When was it?" Karmen asked.

"The accident? Almost 3 years."

Karmen leaned further into his embrace. They were both outcasts and misfits that have finally found a home. Nothing could change this and she hoped she would never have to leave. She kissed him on the cheek and sighed. She was falling in love…

But was that really true? It could just be a fling or just attraction. She looked into his eyes and they answered for her.

He was the ONE.

Of course 'the one' just had to land his hand on her butt. She noticed this and glared.

"Sorry, Karmen," he took his hand back. "I'm a horn-dog, remember?" he grinned innocently.

"Remind me to get you a collar and a leash," she threatened playfully.

"You wouldn't!" Takada gulped. Before he knew it, she had his arm twisted and pinned behind his back, forcing him to kneel down.

"Say it!" Karmen told him.

"What?" Takada yelped. What did this crazy girl want? She leaned down and whispered into his ear. His eyes widened as he shook his head vigorously. "No! No way! No how!" Karmen tightened her grip and he howled, "Okay! Okay!"

"Say it!"

"You are my mistress and I am your bitch," he said, defeated and humiliated.

Shadow, Draco and Beast Boy all laughed hysterically.

"Good," Karmen smiled before letting go, lifting him back to his feet and turning him around to face her. She traced circles on his chest. Her hand then moved to either side of his face "Now, the mistress demands a kiss." She pulled his face down and pressed her lips on his. Takada's arms flailed about before he relaxed and kiss her back, wrapping his arms around her body. Karmen smiled against the kiss, letting out a contented sigh. They pulled away and looked at each other.

"Karmen…?" Takada started but she shushed him by putting her fingers to his lips.

"Let's not ruin the moment, kay?" she smiled impishly. She was about to give him another kiss when a bright pink blur came zooming by and grabbed her right in front of Takada.

"BLACKFIRE!" he shouted.

"LET ME GO!" Karmen screamed. She struggled against the tentacles of the drone but her strength was useless against the powerful tentacles. "PLUTO! HELP ME!" She was moving fast and there was a chance Takada wouldn't be able to catch up. He then took out his Zodiac Deck.

Plain old Takada may not be able to catch up, but good old Zodiac Knight Pluto may be able. He shouted to the sky, "ZODIAC FORCE! DOG!"

* * *

Back in the warehouse, Kat's Zodiac Deck was glowing. There was a Zodiac Knight nearby and she knew it was Pluto. She was about to go after him but she realized that she was still dancing with Rose. She shook her head. There were other times to go after the Dog. This was a special night and no way was she going to ruin it.

Of course, a certain ringing in her ears ruined the atmosphere.

"Damn…" she groaned.

"What?" Rose questioned.

"The monster is back," Kat stopped dancing. "I got to go."

"Can't you let someone else take care of it?" Rose asked, worried for Kat's safety. Kat, however, shook her head.

"I can't do that, Rose. What if it went after you?" Kat gripped her deck. "I have to do this."

Rose understood. "Before you do, there's something I wanted to give you," she kissed Kat on the lips and Kat's eyes widened with shock before closing in contentment. Rose then pulled away and winked. "Get that thing."

Kat was in a drunken stupor. That kiss had a strange affect on her. She felt light headed for some reason and unable to focus. She shook her head vigorously to clear the cobwebs and dashed towards the closest mirror.

"Hey, what's the rush, cutie?" a stupid hunk stood in her way.

"OUT OF MY WAY!" she screeched, punching him square in the jaw, and thus, knocking him out. She leapt over his prone form and went in search for the closest reflective surface.

To Be Continued…

Will Pluto get to Blackfire in time or will she serve her time in the Centauri prison forever? You decide.

Card Review:

**CONTRACT CARDS**

Function: Contract a monster to a Knight and become his/her ally.

Holders: All Zodiac Knights.

When a Zodiac Knight first starts his life as a Zodiac Knight, he must also find a monster that corresponds with his/her sign. It is very specific for the Chinese Zodiac Knights but not much for the Greek Zodiac Knights. Anyway, the holder of this card can automatically make a monster an ally and the monster will have no choice in the matter as its power is sealed in the card, bounding it to the Knight. Normally, a Knight has only one Contract card but there are several exceptions like Draco, Pluto and Shadowcobra who have multiple monsters in their arsenal. The monster is bound to the will of the Knight but the Contract does go both ways. As much as the monster is influenced by its Knight, the monster may also influence the Knight's personality. The Knight must also occasionally feed the monster energy from fallen monsters to keep it strong. Failure to do so will breach the Contract and the monster will turn on him/her. However, if the Contract card is destroyed, the monster becomes free and will no longer serve the Knight and might just turn on him/her.


	13. PT013: Shall We Dance?

Part 13: Shall we Dance?

Pluto's wings spread out and he flew like a rocket, following after the drone and Blackfire.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the Mirror Dimension, Copycat was having her own problems.

"Ugh!" she grunted as she was slammed into a wall. She shook her head to get her bearings back and focused her sights on her opponent. She snarled, "You have officially ticked me off!" the Shieldaphant trumpeted loudly before grinding its feet on the asphalt. "And quit with that trumpeting!" she drew a card and slid it into her whip. "Strike Vent!" her giant clawed gauntlets materialized and she leapt off the wall and straight at the monster with both her claws straight out. "BANZAI!" she shrieked as she slashed at the monster. Unfortunately, her slashes were no good as the thing was blocking her with its shield. "Aww…fish sticks!" she groaned before a well placed fists slammed into her face and sent her flying into a water fountain. She stood up, her armor completely soaked, and none too pleased. "I HATE WATER!" she leapt out of the fountain and lunged at the Shieldaphant. The elephant monster merely lifted its shield up and at that moment, Copycat slammed into it, (KLANG!), and slid off almost comically. Her eyes turned into swirls and tiny Roses were circling her head.

"Ow…" she groaned, holding her aching head. That was when she noticed that the Shieldaphant had its foot up, ready to stomp her into submission. She froze. She was gonna die.

Of course, that would've happened if not for some assistance.

"DRAGON COMBUSTION KICK!" A flaming red blur roared as it slammed right into the Shieldaphant, knocking it into the water fountain. The monster blew up, destroyed, and its energy ball was absorbed by Dragonzer. Draco landed on his feet and said cockily, "Need some help, sis?" he extended his hand but she slapped it away. He shook his hand. "Geez, you're a touch crabby."

"I didn't need your help!" she scowled, "And that monster was mine!"

"Well, you have a date to get back to, remember?" he reminded. She froze.

"How…how," she glared, "Were you spying on me?"

"Maybe…" Draco said innocently, "…Maybe not. Who knows?"

Copycat sighed and muttered, "Thanks," before walking off and into a nearby mirror. Draco shook his head and smiled under his faceplate. He looked to the skies, "Now it's your turn, Shadow."

* * *

Pluto was still going after the drone. Unfortunately, the drone was flying fast and into space. Pluto frowned. _Now how am I supposed to breathe out there?_ He then remembered something and mentally slapped himself. _The helmet! Doi! I almost forgot that it helps me breathe in none breathable environments. _He then picked up his speed and flapped his wings faster. He was beginning to gain on that thing. _Almost there…_

"Let me go you stupid mollusk!" Blackfire screamed as she struggled against her bonds. She tried to use her eyebeams but they did little damage. She groaned, "Great, they've had upgrades."

"BLACKFIRE!" Pluto yelled out. Blackfire heard this and saw Pluto quickly getting closer. "Take my hand!"

"Um, Pluto?" Blackfire began, "I'm a little tied up at the moment!"

"Oh!" he drew his sword, "Don't move!" he slashed his weapon down, severing the tentacles and catching Blackfire in his arms. She smiled and would've given him a kiss if not for the pesky helmet.

The drone then turned back around and was joined by 3 other drones. They then charged. Blackfire and Pluto looked at each other, grinning before letting lose Blackbolts, eyebeams and lightning bolts at the drones, completely reducing them to ashes.

* * *

Meanwhile, on the Centauri Police Ship, the captain was anything but pleased. He shouted, "Send out the rest of the drones! I want that Tamaranian wench captured, dead or alive!"

"I don't think that is necessary, Captain," hissed a voice. The captain turned.

"Who is that? Show yourself, intruder!" The captain demanded. The intruder then walked into the light, revealing him to be no other than Shadowcobra, fully armored. The Captain snarled, "State your business!"

"You are to cease all attempts to recapture the criminal, Blackfire of Tamaran, immediately," Shadowcobra said firmly.

"And what makes you think we will?" The crab man asked.

Shadowcobra reached into his pocket and pulled out a badge, "Because by order of the treaty between the Centauris and Deathtrons, Blackfire is now under my custody, Commander Shadowcobra of the Deathtron Secret Police!"

The Captain was taken aback by this, "Never!"

"My dear Captain," Shadowcobra hissed, "You do know that as stated in the treaty regarding the alliance of the Deathtrons and the Centauris, a Deathtron officer is allowed full custody of a wanted criminal and since I am a representative of the Deathtrons and I outrank you…well, you know what this means. You have to honor this treaty and allow me to take full custody of the fugitive."

The Captain shook, outraged. "Very well. I'll cease all attempts to recapture the prisoner," he obeyed, reluctantly. "And call off the drones."

"Thank you," Shadowcobra smirked under his helmet. "It's been a pleasure doing business with you, Captain. We will meet again." Shadowcobra formed a shadow portal under his feet and phased through. The Centauri Police Captain slammed his arms onto the console.

"Oh, we will meet again…Deathtron…" he snarled.

* * *

Pluto and Blckfire were back on the roof of the warehouse, tired from their adventure. Pluto changed out of his armor and breathed out deeply. "That…was…intense," he admitted.

"I'll say…" Blackfire blushed, "Thanks for…rescuing me."

"A Knight's job is to rescue a damsel-in-distress," Takada winked. He then heard the music again. "Hey, a slow song." He grinned, "You know what that means, right?"

"You betcha!" she laughed, grabbing his wrist. "Let's go!" she zoomed the two of them back in through the skylight and landed on the dance floor. All of the couples were dancing, embracing each other, all, but one.

Rose was sitting at the bar, completely depressed. Kat had not returned and she was afraid something bad had happened to her. She leaned against the counter and sighed.

Several guys had asked if she wanted to dance and she said no. She had been left alone for quite awhile until this one guy forced her to dance with him, grabbing her arm.

"Hey!" Rose shouted, "Let go! I'm not dancing with you!" she struggled.

"Oh, c'mon babe! You know you want me!" the guy grinned lecherously. He then felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned, angered, "WHAT?"

"Hey, meat-sack!" Kat called him, "She's with ME!" Her knuckles then made contact with his face, knocking him completely out. Rose was glad to see her.

"Kat!" she hugged her and Kat hugged her back. "Did you get it?"

"Um…" Kat hesitated, "More or less…"

Rose beamed, "Tell me later. Come on! Let's dance!" she ran onto the dance floor with Kat in tow. Kat had no choice but to follow after her.

Now, Takada was dancing with Blackfire, his hands on her hips and her hands on his shoulders. It was the prefect moment

* * *

Later, after the rave/party, Kat and Rose returned to the Wilson Mansion with an angry Zodiac Knight ARMS waiting for them.

"You took my car…" he growled threateningly.

"Yeah," Kat smirked, "What about it?"

"THAT'S IT!" ARMS reached his gun, "I AM SO SICK AND TIRED OF YOU DISRESPECTING ME! PREPARE FOR TARGET PRACTICE!" He then noticed something peculiar. His gun was gone, "Hey, where's my gun?" he then saw that Kat had it in her hands with a malicious grin on her face. "Uh oh."

"DANCE FOR ME! DANCE FOR ME!" Kat cackled as she rapidly shot at ARMS' feet. He had no choice but to jump and skip to avoid his feet from getting shot. Rose sweatdropped and shook her head.

To Be Continued…

ZK Chromedragozoid: Well, that's a wrap! Takada and Kat finally had the dates they've dreamed of with very little interruptions. Will Pluto ever found out that the bet is off since Draco had taken out the monster? Knowing him, guess not. Oh well…you win some, you lose some.


	14. PT014: Crazy Adventure

Part 14: Shadowcobra and Beast Boy's Crazy Adventure

Beast Boy woke up and was bored as Hell. Everyone else had gone out, which left him all alone in the Tower. At least, ho could play his video games without anyone bothering him.

In the common room, he realized that he wasn't alone. Shadowcobra was sitting on the couch, in front of the TV, reading.

Beast Boy shrugged and jumped over the back of the couch to land on it. Shadowcobra's eyes moved to the side.

"And I thought I was alone in the Tower…" Shadowcobra muttered before going back to his book.

"Where is everyone anyway?" Beast Boy asked.

Shadowcobra raised his hand and counted down with his fingers. "Raven and Jinx are at a Sorceress Convention, Cyborg is at an Auto Show showing off the T-Car, Robin went out on a date with Starfire, and Terra, Blackfire, Pluto and Draco went out to the park to play football."

"And they didn't think to ask me?" Beast Boy complained.

Shadowcobra shrugged. "You slept in too late while everyone was up nice and early. It's already 5pm."

"And you're here, coz?" Beast Boy asked.

"Someone needs to guard and monitor the Tower as well as watch out for any criminal activity. Besides, it was my turn to volunteer anyway."

Beast Boy looked at the abandoned Gamestation and then back at Shadowcobra. With a nervous smile, he began, "So, Shadowcobra, wanna-"

"No," Shadowcobra cut him off.

"But you didn't let me finish!" Beast Boy protested.

"You wanted me to join you and play idiotic videogames," Shadowcobra shook his head. "No thank you. I have more important things to do."

"But you play Duel Monsters, right?" Beast Boy reminded.

Shadowcobra let his book down, "Logan. May I remind you that I am a Knight, a Duelist and a Mage? I don't do videogames." He continued, "And besides, playing that dreadful stankball game was bad enough already."

Beast Boy crossed his arms and pouted as he slouched in the couch, "You're no fun! You're like Raven!"

"Maybe that's why we understand each other."

"Fine!" Beast Boy surrendered. "What do you want to do?"

Shadowcobra's eyebrow twitched, "Sit here in peaceful silence and read my book."

Beast Boy was about to say something, but was cut off by Shadowcobra's finger.

"For now and forever, I will and won't ever, play videogames. Case closed."

_Grouch!_ Beast Boy thought.

"I heard that," Shadowcobra said.

Beast Boy grumbled.

* * *

One hour later...

Shadowcobra felt Beast Boy's boredom and was getting extremely bothered by the way Beast Boy moaned. With a sigh of defeat, Shadowcobra let down his book.

"Fine," Shadowcobra said, "Let's play."

Beast Boy's head shot up, eyes wide. He couldn't believe what he just heard. "What?"

"Do you want me to say it again?" Shadowcobra hissed, eyes glowing red. Beast Boy gulped.

"Okay, what do you want to play?" Beast Boy asked.

"Pick something, anything. I want to see what is so interesting about these Videogames." _I can't believe I just said that._

"I think you'll like, Tekken 3!" Beast Boy announced.

"Just start," Shadowcobra said as he picked up the controller. Beast Boy turned on the TV and Game and started playing.

* * *

An hour or two later…

"And I win again," Shadowcobra said, emotions none evident in his voice.

Beast Boy's jaw dropped.

Out of the thirty games they have been playing, Shadowcobra had won them all.

Beast Boy narrowed his eyes suspiciously at Shadowcobra. "I thought you said that you don't "do" videogames."

"I don't," Shadowcobra said. "However, it does not I mean I do not occasionally play now and then. Blame Draco and Pluto for dragging me to Arcades back home and making me play these things."

Beast Boy was silent and immediately grumbled.

Shadowcobra looked at the clock, "The others should be back by now," he commented.

Suddenly, the TV's image shifted from the game to the face of a man with a black hair in a bowl cut hairstyle and large, round rimmed, glasses.

"GREETINGS Shadowcobra and Beast Boy!" the man announced.

"Who are you?" Shadowcobra asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, what he said!" Beast Boy added.

"I am THE COLLECTOR!" the man laughed manically.

Both Beast Boy and Shadowcobra sweatdropped.

"Okay…" Beast Boy said awkwardly, "And what is it you want exactly?"

"Ever since I first saw you, I've had a dream to collect every single piece of Teen Titans merchandise and memorabilia. I have various newspaper clippings of your endeavors and have also bought all of the action figures and dolls as well as duplicates of all your costumes!" the collector ranted.

"So…?" Shadowcobra said.

"However, it wasn't enough that I collect the merchandise," he paused, "SO I DECIDED TO COLLECT ALL OF YOU!" The collector moved to the side a bit to reveal all of the other Titans, unconscious, and sealed in glass case prisons.

Upon seeing Starfire and Raven's unconscious faces, Shadowcobra hissed, "If you so much as touch a single hair on their heads I'll-"

"Dude! Calm down!" Beast Boy coaxed his teammate. He was too angry at seeing Terra being captured. But, being mad wasn't going to save their friends and he knew it.

"Anyway, before I was so rudely interrupted, I've decided to collect all of you. I already have all the Titans, but you two. After you are added to my collection, I shall take Titans Tower, which will become the masterpiece of my greatest collection! If you want your friends back, come to my fortress. I'll send you the coordinates! Bye!" The Collector disappeared from screen and it showed the map of the city. There was single glowing dot.

Beast Boy slapped his hand on his face, "Great!" he moaned, sarcastically. "If control Freak wasn't bad enough, we have an evil and crazy fan boy on our hands!"

Shadowcobra looked the map over. His arms were crossed as he closed his eyes in thought, "This is just too easy. This has to be a trap."

"No shit Sherlock!" shot Beast Boy, "He wants ALL of us! That's why he wants us to rescue the others, so he can add us to his freaky collection!"

"I know that, Beast Boy. But, if we enter without a plan, we may be putting our friends in danger."

"So what do you want to do?"

"We go in, we fight, and we rescue our friends." Shadowcobra summarized the plan.

"How? We don't even know what to expect from this guy!" Beast Boy exclaimed.

Shadowcobra glared, "Beast Boy, the more we stand here arguing, the more danger our friends will be in. And you know what fan boys like to do when they have their hands on their favorite FEMALE idols."

Beast Boy's eyes widened and he spat with disgust. "If he touches Terra, I'll kill him!" he threatened.

"If he touches Raven and Starfire, we'll both kill him!" Shadowcobra memorized the coordinates and printed out the map. "Let's go!"

* * *

They arrived shortly at the coordinates to realize it was an abandoned old amusement park. Since it was dark, it held a creepy atmosphere. Shadowcobra rolled into the Amusement Park, riding on his Shadow Chaser. Beast Boy had taken the form of a hawk

Beast Boy shifted to human form. "Creepy…" he commented.

Shadowcobra got off his motorcycle and walked forward, "Let's go. We're getting close."

Both Titans managed to walk through the Amusement Park without any danger. Tumbleweeds tumbled and crickets chirped, but that was about it. Beast Boy jumped into Shadowcobra's arms when he heard a dog howling, only to have himself dropped back onto the ground.

They finally arrived at the spot. It was a large castle surrounded by a moat. There was a bridge though

"This Collector really has a superiority complex," Shadowcobra said.

"He also has a big castle," Beast Boy added.

They stepped onto the bridge, which moved slightly. Beast Boy whimpered and continued to walk slowly. It was a long way to the door when Beast Boy noticed something. He immediately looked back. His eyes widened as he reached up and shook Shadowcobra's arm.

"What? Shadowcobra said, annoyed. He turned around to see the drawbridge collapsing!

"RUN!" Beast Boy yelled as he ran past Shadowcobra. Shadowcobra did the same, since he had sworn he had seen piranhas in the moat. He ran quickly too as the wooden boards began to give way and dropped into the moat, exciting a feeding frenzy from the carnivorous fish. They reached the castle in time.

"That definitely," Beast Boy gasped, "Was a trap!" he continued to catch his breath.

Shadowcobra looked at Beast Boy and agreed. "Let's just go in so we can end all this," he suggested. Beast Boy nodded.

They both pushed the large doors open and entered. The doors slammed back shut, causing them to jump. Suddenly, all the candles lit up.

"Creepy…" Beast Boy commented.

Shadowcobra looked around. His eyes wide with amazement, "Amazing," escaped his lips.

Beast Boy stepped forward, but Shadowcobra stopped him. Beast Boy turned to him.

"Look at the floor," Shadowcobra said. Beast Boy did and saw that it was a checkered pattern of black and white square tiles.

"Yeah, so?" Beast Boy asked.

"There could be a trap," Shadowcobra said. He picked a small stone pebble and tossed it onto a white tile. Nothing happened.

"See," Beast Boy grinned. "No worries!" he stepped onto a black square and almost got hit by an arrow that zipped past right in front of his nose. "Gah!" he screamed as he fell backwards on his ass.

"The black ones are the triggers," Shadowcobra assessed. He levitated a few inches off the ground. "We just have to avoid them."

Beast Boy got back up and nodded. He transformed into a fly and flew over the floor tiles as Shadowcobra floated over them. They reached the stairwell safely. Beast Boy changed back.

"That was easy," Beast Boy commented.

"Yes," Shadowcobra agreed. "It would be most unpleasant if we didn't have our powers. Who knows what would have happened to us."

"Do the words, Titans Shish Kabobs mean anything?" Beast Boy joked and laughed.

Shadowcobra raised an eyebrow. "That has got to be the worst joke you have ever made, now come on." Shadowcobra climbed the stairs. Beast Boy fumed, but followed after him. Suddenly, the steps folded in and the stairwell changed into a slide.

"What?" Shadowcobra screamed as he slid down.

"Woah!" Beast Boy screamed as he slid down as well.

They were then thrown back onto the checkered tile floor.

"We're so dead," Beast Boy said since he was lying on multiple black floor tiles.

Shadowcobra groaned as he was too anticipating the traps. He was laying on top a few black tiles as well.

Various objects like arrows, spears and guns were being shot at them. They narrowly avoided them. A pendulum blade swung at them and they lay on the floor out of harms way. Various boulders tried to crush them before they rolled out to safety. A trap door that opened up to a hole full of spikes and Shadowcobra grabbed the chandelier while Beast Boy grabbed hold onto his leg. They were able to get back to the stairwell safely and held onto the railings. Shadowcobra growled. He hated being humiliated like this. Beast Boy was gasping for breath. His costume was in tatters in places the arrows zipped pass him. He only had scratches on him, but not visible cuts. Shadowcobra saw the scratches and reached out at Beast Boy. He concentrated and his hand glowed with white energy. Beast Boy almost jumped, but felt that Shadowcobra was healing him.

"Gee, thanks," Beast Boy said, smiling nervously.

Shadowcobra remained silent. They went up the stairwell again and this time it did not turn into a slide.

"Where could they be?" Shadowcobra whipped his head around to find some clues.

"Maybe they're here?" Beast Boy suggested as he pointed into a corridor full of doors on either wall.

"Which one?" Shadowcobra asked

"We just hafta check em all!" Beast Boy said.

Shadowcobra placed a hand on his face and groaned as Beast Boy marched to the first door.

There were a total of 5 doors and they checked them.

Behind Door No.1 was a brick wall. Beast Boy walked right into it, face first.

Behind Door No. 2 was a big black bear roaring at them. Beast Boy slowly closed it.

Behind Door No. 3 was a cannon that shot a cannonball at them. They dodged.

Behind Door No. 4 was a monkey in a pink bikini and doing the Macarena. Beast Boy closed the door.

"That was way creepy," Beast Boy said.

"Agreed," Shadowcobra said

"Now or never," Beast Boy said as he opened the last door to reveal an empty room with a high ceiling about 30 feet high. They both entered. "Finally, a normal room!" Beast Boy said.

"Are you sure?" Shadowcobra picked up a piece of paper written in red marker ink and in lower case letters "Blood?" he read.

Beast Boy noticed something on the far wall. "Hey Shadowcobra! What's this?"

Shadowcobra looked at the wall to see a sequence of numbers.

10, 11, 00 and 01. The numbers had a button under each one.

Shadowcobra was confused, as was Beast Boy. Suddenly, the ceiling started to drop slowly. They panicked and headed for the door.

"OPEN IT! OPEN IT!" Beast Boy yelled

"I'M TRYING! I'M TRYING!" Shadowcobra hollered. They were locked in. Shadowcobra tried to teleport them out but was stopped by a barrier of lead. "Damn!"

"Maybe these buttons would help!" Beast Boy headed for the buttons under the numbers, but Shadowcobra grabbed him.

"Wait! How do you know which is the right one?" Shadowcobra asked him. Beast Boy nervously shrugged.

The ceiling was getting closer.

_Hold on! _Shadowcobra looked at the piece of paper and saw something wrong. "Of course!" he turned to Beast Boy. "Beast Boy, hold up the ceiling!" Shadowcobra ran towards the numbers.

Beast Boy morphed into a gorilla and held it up as it pressed down. He struggled.

_I hope I'm right!_ Shadowcobra slammed his palm onto the button under the numbers 11. He closed his eyes.

Beast Boy didn't feel the pressure of the ceiling. He let go. The ceiling had stopped. He walked up to Shadowcobra.

"How did you figure that out?" Beast Boy said sounding impressed.

Shadowcobra showed him the piece of paper, "Notice anything unusual?"

Beast Boy looked at the paper and then he realized something. "Wait! Blood is written wrong! It has 2 lower case L's!"

"Exactly. The numbers actually represented the letters. 10 is b, 0 is o and 01 is d. 11 represented the two L's in the spelling and the answer to our riddle!" Shadowcobra explained.

"But, what if you were wrong?"

"Then we'd be pancakes."

Beast Boy gulped. Shadowcobra pulled the door open and they walked out.

"Okay. So we can suspect this Collector guy wants us dead or alive," Beast Boy assessed.

"Suspect nothing!" Shadowcobra countered. "If we were dead, it'd be easy for him to cover us up in wax or stuff us and put us on display!"

"Do you think he's gonna stuff the others?" Beast Boy asked, panicked.

Shadowcobra shrugged. They continued walking around. It was a good thing he was wearing his helmet. Beast Boy was unable to see the worry in his eyes. His lover, Raven, was in danger and he needed to help. However, the only assistance he had was Beast Boy's. He sighed.

"Beast Boy?" Shadowcobra started a conversation.

"Yep?" Beast Boy answered.

"I've been in Raven's mind and I've seen some images of you in her thoughts."

Beast Boy blushed.

"I wish to thank you."

"Huh?"

"Raven told me a lot about herself and sometimes talks about you and how you helped her, a lot. She also told me that you got trapped in her mind and helped her defeat Trigon there. Also, after the _Malchior_ incident," Shadowcobra spat out Malchior's name like disease, "You comforted her. I wish to thank you."

Beast Boy rubbed the back of his head, shyly. "Heck, you're the one who makes her happy, I should be thanking you."

Shadowcobra turned to Beast Boy and listened.

"I knew Raven was different and I sorta had a crush on her," Beast Boy turned to see Shadowcobra's reaction before he continued, "I saw how unhappy she was so I tried to make her laugh with my jokes. Maybe I just annoyed her more."

"You at least made an effort to get close to her. And, I know she doesn't really hate you."

"Yeah, I knew a relationship with her was impossible. I just thought, you know, opposites attract."

"But you have Terra, right?" Shadowcobra said.

"Yeah, I know. I love her more than I love Tofu and that's saying a lot. Terra enjoys my jokes and doesn't think I'm useless."

"No one thinks you're useless, Beast Boy. It's just that you never think things through."

Beast Boy slumped.

"Forgive me for being so blunt," Shadowcobra apologized.

Beast Boy's eyes widened, "Wait. You're apologizing, to me?"

Shadowcobra hissed. "Let's just go rescue our friends."

As they walked through the small hallway, from the intersection, came a bouncing ball. Beast Boy grabbed it.

"Wonder what this is?" Beast Boy asked Shadowcobra. Shadowcobra looked at it and his eyes widened as he saw a timer.

"IT'S A BOMB!" Shadowcobra shouted.

"WHAT?"

"THROW IT! THROW IT!" Shadowcobra shouted. Beast Boy threw the ball and it bounced along the walls until it bounced back into his hands.

"Oh for the love of-"

**KABOOOOMMM!**

When the smoke cleared away, it revealed a slightly blackened Shadowcobra and Beast Boy. The Knight glared at the Changeling.

"What? You told me to throw it!" Beast Boy said to him.

Shadowcobra grumbled, "Next time, don't touch ANYTHING!"

At the intersection, Beast Boy walked forward and triggered something. Laser beams shot from the walls and crisscrossed with each other to cover the whole corridor. Beast Boy froze in place in and awkward stance, standing on one leg as the laser beams surrounded him.

Shadowcobra slapped himself in the face and groaned, "Beast Boy…"

"What? I didn't touch nothing!" as Beast Boy said, this, a laser gun came down from a hole in the ceiling and aimed right at him.

"You should keep as quiet as possible!" Shadowcobra yelled at him _Beast Boy staying quiet would be a miracle made in Heaven. _"I'll try to disarm it. Don't move."

Unfortunately, Beast Boy couldn't stay stationary for long as a fly landed on his nose. It tickled his nose and he tried to shake it off. His nose started to itch and he was about to sneeze. Luckily Shadowcobra shut his mouth with a Shadowcobra energy bubble.

Shadowcobra sighed as he let go, thinking Beast Boy wasn't going to sneeze.

He was wrong.

"AWCHHHOOOO!" Beast Boy sneezed loudly and moved, passing several beams.

"Of shit," Beast Boy's eyes widened.

The good news was the laser beams had gone.

The bad news was that about a dozen or so laser guns came down from the ceiling and started blasting at the two Titans.

Shadowcobra ran forward and grabbed Beast Boy, who had turned into a turtle. He ran down the hallway with his teammate, narrowly missing a few shots. As they got to the end of the hallway, Shadowcobra dropped the turtle, which immediately morphed back to Beast Boy.

Shadowcobra grumbled and mumbled something under his breath as he avoided any and all eye contact with Beast Boy.

* * *

They were walking down a hallway which had suits of armor lining the wall. Beast Boy gulped as he walked past a menacing looking suit of armor.

"What is it now?" Shadowcobra asked.

"This hallway is mondo creepy. In those scary movies, the suits of armor move around and kill intruders and stuff," Beast Boy answered.

Shadowcobra rolled his eyes. "Those were just movies, Beast Boy. Besides, I don't see anything suspicious."

Beast Boy sighed. "Good."

A hand from one of the suits of armor reached out to Beast Boy, but pulled back quickly as he turned. Beast Boy looked left and right before he continued to follow Shadowcobra.

Another hand reached out to Beast Boy and he turned, only to see the suit standing still. Beast Boy then turned to see Shadowcobra far in front of him. He took a step and found he could not move. Beast Boy turned around to see a metallic hand on his shoulder. He let out a silent scream and tried to get Shadowcobra's attention.

Shadowcobra quickly turned and threw a dagger right at the helmet. The helmet sparked erratically before the whole suit fell to the floor. Beast Boy did an okay sign with his hand. However, they were not out of danger yet.

The other suits of armor came to life and charged at the two Titans. Shadowcobra then grabbed Beast Boy and they both phased right through the ceiling.

The two Titans found themselves in a study. Shadowcobra looked at the massive book shelves with volumes upon volumes of books while Beast Boy was looking at the globe.

"Oooohhh," Beast boy cooed. "Big ball." He went to touch it.

"Beast Boy, what did I say about touching anything?" Shadowcobra warned as he reached out for a book. He opened it and found it interesting.

Beast Boy looked at one of the portraits in the study. He then thought he saw the eyes move. His eyes widened and he rubbed them, only to see the portrait looking normal. He turned to Shadowcobra. "Um…Dude?"

"Yes, Beast Boy?" Shadowcobra answered as he continued to read.

"The eyes are moving."

"What eyes?" Beast Boy pointed at the portrait. "Beast Boy, it's just a painting. Artists use a technique that makes the painting's eyes move, see?"

"But they were moving."

"Don't let your imagination get the better of you," Shadowcobra advised.

"Fine," Beast Boy grumbled as he headed for the bookcase and leaned his elbow against it. However, his elbow was on top of a book that leaned slightly over. Beast Boy was surprised as the bookcase spun around.

When Beast Boy looked again, he was in a strange room and saw half a dozen henchmen playing a game of cards. He panicked and grabbed the book before they saw him. The book case turned and he was back in the study.

_A secret passage. Cool! _Beast Boy thought. _Now, which book was it? _he grabbed it again and immediately found himself back in the room. This time, the henchmen were ready.

"Yipes!" Beast Boy panicked.

* * *

"Well, there isn't anything here, Beast Boy," Shadowcobra sighed. "Beast Boy?" he scratched his head looking around for his green teammate. "Now where did he go?"

The bookcase spun behind Shadowcobra. Beast Boy was in a chokehold of one of the henchmen.

"Shadowcobra!" he rasped out before he spun back into the secret room.

"Beast Boy?" Shadowcobra turned around. His eyebrow twitched, "Beast Boy, now is not the time to be playing around."

The bookcase spun quickly as Beast Boy ran out. "WAAAHHH!" and slammed into Shadowcobra's back. Shadowcobra turned.

"Where were you?" he asked.

Beast Boy panted. "Bookcase…pull book…room…lotsa henchmen…"

Shadowcobra raised an eyebrow and then read Beast Boy's thoughts, "You found a secret passage behind the bookcase after you pulled a book?"

Beast Boy nodded.

The bookcase spun again to reveal half a dozen of the henchmen Beast Boy found. Beast Boy yelped and hid behind Shadowcobra.

"We haven't the time for this," Shadowcobra cracked his knuckles and his neck before crossing his arms over his chest. "Bring it on," he challenged.

* * *

After minutes of walking, they finally found the room marked, "TITANS COLLECTION".

"This is the place," Shadowcobra said.

"No shit Sherlock!" Beast Boy retorted. Shadowcobra glared at him and he shut up.

Beast Boy pushed the door open to see a room full of Teen Titans posters, action figures, dolls, plushies, newspaper clippings and various memorabilia.

"Creepy…" Beast Boy said.

Shadowcobra nodded in agreement.

They finally found the Titans imprisoned in the glass cases.

"Raven!" Shadowcobra exclaimed as he pressed his hand against the case holding his beloved.

"Terra!" Beast Boy pressed his face against the case. "Terra?" he asked, his voice muffled

"We have to get them out!" Shadowcobra said.

Beast Boy nodded in agreement.

"I DO NOT THINK SO!" a voice bellowed.

The two Titans turned to see The Collector dressed up in a powered up super exo-suit that looked like Adonis' except that it was black and had a C in the centre of his waist.

Beast Boy's eyes widened while Shadowcobra sighed.

"The Collector I presume?" Shadowcobra inquired.

"Why yes! And you see I was prepared for you," The Collector flexed his mechanical muscles.

"I can't believe you defeated the Titans," Shadowcobra smirked.

"Well my friend, life's full of surprises, ain't it?" The Collector smirked.

Shadowcobra went into a battle stance. "I demand that you release my friends!"

"No! They are part of my collection and I will keep them as I please. You two will make fine additions! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!" The Collector laughed.

"Aw, man!" Beast Boy groaned

((Beast Boy. Release our friends. I'll try to distract this overgrown geek )) Shadowcobra told Beast Boy.

((You're trusting ME?)) Beast Boy asked.

((Now is not the time to argue! Go!)) "ZODIAC FORCE! SNAKE!" The energy field swept over his body and he was transformed into his armor.

Beast Boy saluted and ran towards the glass cases.

Shadowcobra dodged a punch and charged forward to land a kick on The Collector's solar plexus.

"Didn't feel a thing," The Collector smirked as he slammed his gigantic fist into Shadowcobra. Shadowcobra gasped at the force of the punch. He doubled over and looked down to see a dent in his armor.

"You're more powerful than I thought. A worthy opponent," Shadowcobra summoned his weapon, the Cobra Staff, "Too bad you're going down!" Shadowcobra viciously went on the attack.

Beast Boy was still trying to figure out how to free his friends when he saw a control station nearby. He saw a button marked release and so he pressed it, opening all the glass cases.

"NO!" The Collector roared but Shadowcobra grabbed him by the leg and began to spin him around and then threw him into a nearby wall, leaving a sizable imprint.

"Like Cyborg would say, Booyah," Shadowcobra smirked before drawing out a card and sliding it into his staff, "Add Vent-Summoning Genosnaker!" the gigantic king cobra slithered into view and stood over its master. The Snake Knight drew another card and then hissed, "Final Vent," sliding the card into his scepter. He took a running start, Genosnaker slithering after, before jumping up, doing a back flip and finally being catapulted by a blast of venom and acid fired from Genosnaker's mouth.

"GENOCIDE CRUSH!" The vicious venomous kick smashed right into the Collector's powerful armor, utterly destroying it and reducing it to a pile of scrap.

"No!" The Collector moaned. Shadowcobra grabbed him by the collar and lifted up the geek. He was only half of Shadowcobra's size. A midget.

"Yes!" Shadowcobra concluded before he tied the villain up with Shadow bonds.

The Titans were freed and dazed. Shadowcobra immediately transformed out of his armor and was now clad in his form fitting bodysuit and cloak. He was at Raven's side.

"Are you alright, Raven?" he asked, concerned

Raven rubbed her head, "I guess. The last thing I remember was someone gassing the whole convention center."

"Yeah, the Convention got ruined," Jinx pouted.

"You okay, Terra?" Beast Boy asked.

"I'm fine, Gar," Terra assured him and he kissed her.

"I left the T-Car at the Auto Show," said Cyborg.

"And that guy got in the middle of our game!" Blackfire narrowed her eyes.

"I was going to win!" Pluto barked.

"No you weren't!" Draco contradicted.

"Yes I was!" Pluto barked back.

"No you weren't!" Draco growled.

Shadowcobra sighed.

"So, where's the guy who did this?" Robin asked.

Shadowcobra pointed behind his shoulder for the Titans to see The Collector tied up. "You want to make him pay?" Shadowcobra asked, smirking.

All the Titans grinned and proceeded to approach the Collector.

Beast Boy saw a big red button. "Ooohh! What does this do?" he pressed the button.

"SELF DESTRUCT SEQUENCE IS ACTIVATED," said a computerized voice. Alarms blared.

"BEAST BOY!" Everyone yelled at him.

"Whoops!" Beast Boy exclaimed, ears dropping. "Sorry!"

"What did I tell you about touching anything?" Shadowcobra yelled.

"Team! Let's get out of here!" ordered Robin. "Titans! GO!"

Cyborg carried The Collector over his shoulder.

"Allow us," Raven and Shadowcobra said in unison as they covered everyone in a dome of black energy. The Titans and the Collector were safely teleported outside as the castle exploded.

"NOOOO!" The Collector exclaimed, "My beautiful castle!" he cried.

"You're gonna have a new castle," Robin said, "In prison."

The Titans, ignoring Beast Boy's last foul up, congratulated their two saviors.

"You guys saved the day!"-Terra

"I would prepare the Pudding of Friendship and recite the Poem of Gratitude, all 6000 verses!"-Starfire

"Congratulations you two."-Robin

"You two are heroes!"-Draco.

"And you didn't even kill each other."-Pluto

"Now that's a miracle."-Jinx.

"You did good, snake."-Blackfire.

Raven kissed Shadowcobra on the cheek, causing the Black Knight to blush.

"Booyah dawg, I mean, snake!"-Cyborg

"It was nothing," Beast Boy said proudly.

"Nothing?" Shadowcobra said, "Beast Boy, you almost got us both killed several times. I've got the wounds to prove it."

Beast Boy rubbed the back of his head embarrassedly.

* * *

After the adventure, and handing the Collector to the authorities, in which Beast Boy said, "See how you like it," and chuckled, all the Titans returned to the Tower.

They were shocked out of their minds when they saw Shadowcobra and Beast Boy playing videogames.

"So…this is what you guys been doing when we were out?" Raven asked the two Titans.

"Oh my God!" Draco exclaimed melodramatically, "Shadow's playing videogames! It is the sign of the Apocalypse!"

Everyone else laughed.

Shadowcobra and Beast Boy ignored the others and continued with their game.

To Be Continued…

ZK Chromedragozoid: Just a silly bonding fic I conceived out of my mind just for the heck of it. How was it? I decided to go with a strange partnership between BB and Shadow. Did it work?

**Zodiac Knight Shadowcobra**

Real Name: Ichijyo Desmond Amakusa Akuma

Aliases: Snake Knight, Knight of Invisibility.

Zodiac Animal: The Snake

Zodiac Power: Invisibility

Other Powers: Can change self into a shadow form that allows him to stretch his body, shape shift and change his size, Intangibility (can pass through solid objects in shadow form), shadow manipulation, telekinesis, flight, teleportation, telepathy, healing, regeneration and can create shadow agents that can be used as spies or erase people's memories by entering their minds

Weaknesses: Suffers from a split personality due to his split Dark (Vampire) and Light (Angel) sides. He keeps his emotions bottles up and is very secretive, causing himself to be distant from his friends. He is plagued by nightmares of his past as one of Yoshido's Black Knights. A perfectionist and easily embarrassed by past mishaps he had a hand in. Also succumbs to his basic vampiric needs: blood.

Zodiac Beasts: Genosnaker, Metalceros, Stingdiver and Genocide

Bio: Shadowcobra is the creepiest member of the group next to Raven and just as secretive. He is a reluctant member of the Titans in the way that he never wanted to join the team in the first place. However, he stayed anyway to get to know a certain female Azerathian.

Shadowcobra is a half breed. He is half vampire and half angel, or in other words a Vampangel. This has caused many demons and humans to shun him. Only his family and closes friends stood by him. Because he was shunned by the outside world, Shadowcobra felt distrustful towards humans. He did fall in love with a human girl but the girl later died due to leukemia. He became withdrawn emotionally after that and didn't smile until he met Draco.

Draco was the first Knight he faced in combat and lost or won countless times. Because of this, he regards Draco as a rival. Unfortunately, Draco dimwittedness, naiveté and manner, embarrasses him time and again. He has formed a shaky alliance with both Pluto and Draco. However, he knows it will not last because they would eventually meet in combat and fight to the death. However, even if he hates to admit it, Shadowcobra actually cares for his teammates. He may not show it much, but he regards them as his friends no matter how much they annoy him. And boy, do they annoy him.

Due to his strange origins, Ichijyo possesses both vampiric and angelic abilities. His vampiric abilities allow him regenerate from any wound and his angelic healing powers can be used to heal others. His power to manipulate the shadows is quite amazing as he can use it to disappear and phase through walls. He can also create shadow portals for him to go from one place to another, a manner of teleportation. His psychic gifts of telekineses and telepathy help in some situations. He also has strong mental shields. His most frightening power, however, is that he is able to neutralize powers around him, be they magical, metahuman or alien. This can make his a terrible weapon if he falls in the wrong hands. Of course, the Snake Knight of Invisibility will not surrender without a fight. His Zodiac power to turn invisible makes him a good spy since he is trained in the art of stealth.

Shadowcobra is yet to truly tap into his full potential.

Shadowcobra's emotions and personality are split into two separate entities that reside within his soul. All his negative emotions are within Akuma, Shadow's Vampire side while all his positive traits are within Amakusa, his angel half. Both entities act as Shadow's conscience and anti-conscience.

Shadow is known to have an even worse temper than Draco. Fortunately, he keeps it in check and doesn't lose his cool. Of course, some situations may cause him to freak out and go postal.

Because of his origins, Shadowcobra can be cold and vicious one minute and then nice the next.

Shadowcobra has started courting Raven, wanting to break through her shell. His power to neutralize powers helps since Raven's power won't go haywire when she exhibits emotions. Raven also has a crush on Shadowcobra but has tried to deny her feelings for the fellow Titans and Snake Knight. They have gone on a few dates and evidence of mutual feeling for each other can be seen. They respect each other and care a lot about each other.

Like Raven, he meditates to keep in control. However, his form of meditation is gardening and he does have a beautiful rose garden on the roof. His vampiric side might just attack people if kept unchecked. He also locks himself in his room during the full moons since this is when the vampiric influence is at the strongest. Raven found out one night and offers him blood, cementing their relationship further. She is the only one who knows he is a Vampangel

During his time with the Titans, he has cemented a brother-sister bond with the Tamaranian, Starfire. He doesn't even mind her bad driving. Her cooking, however, is another story. Because of this bond, he becomes almost overprotective.

He has also never forgiven Draco for burning down the bonsai his mother gave him.

And if you think Draco and Pluto cause trouble, find out what Shadowcobra did one fateful Halloween. Shadowcobra's reason for becoming a Knight was never known to anyone but Raven.


	15. PT015: Shalalalala

Part 15: Shala-la-la-la-Raven

There was a ring at the doorbell. Since Draco was the only one in the room, he decided to answer. He took the elevator to the ground floor and went to the large front doors of the Tower. He entered the code and the doors slid open.

He was quite surprised at the sight before him.

* * *

Raven, Starfire, Shadowcobra and Jinx were up on the roof meditating. Jinx was unsuccessful in the levitation part, but was able to go along with it. Shadow, Star and Raven were floating in the air. All four Titans were chanting Raven's Azerathian meditation chant, over and over again. 

Suddenly, there was a loud beep. It was Raven's communicator. With an annoyed sigh, she picked it up and flipped it open. Draco's face was on the screen.

"Draco…what is it?" she asked, clearly irritated.

"Raven…um…I think you have some…guests?" Draco answered, although he looked slightly unsure about his words.

"Guests?" Raven raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean by my guests?"

The image on the communicator shifted and Raven found herself looking at some very familiar faces.

"Raven-shala!"

* * *

The Titans were now sitting in the living room. Their attention was on Raven, or more specifically, Raven and her little alien midget friends. 

"So…these were the aliens you met when we were stranded on that planet?" Robin asked.

Raven nodded, "Yeah."

"Tea-shala!" one of the alien midgets chimed as it brought Raven a cup of tea. Raven thanked it and it joined its friends.

"And they treated you like royalty?" Shadow asked.

"That's about the size of it," Raven sipped her tea.

"So, you are telling us is that while we were all going through hardships on that alien world, its peaceful inhabitants treated you like…" Starfire trailed.

"A princess? Definitely," Raven nodded.

"This is so not fair!" Beast Boy exclaimed, "While I was stuck putting Cy back together, you were getting a spa treatment!"

Cyborg glared at Beast Boy, "Wasn't a walk in the park to me, either BB. You messed me up trying to put me together."

Beast Boy apologized, sheepishly, "Sorry."

"So…" Jinx began, "These little guys just do everything you say?"

Raven shrugged, "Pretty much."

Jinx smirked at Terra while the geokinetic grinned back.

"You are not using them to do your chores," Raven scolded.

"Well, we have to do something about these little guys," Blackfire added.

"But what? They came all the way here for Raven," Pluto told her.

"I don't know guys," Draco admired the little aliens, "They're kinda cute."

"Cute-shala!" the little aliens cheered.

"They are adorable!" Starfire beamed.

"We aren't going to keep them," Robin said sternly.

"I have to agree with Robin on this," Shadow nodded, "They would have to go home."

"Home-shala!" the midget aliens hopped.

"I think they're trying to tell us something," Raven said.

"You can understand them?" Blackfire quirked an eyebrow.

"Call it a hunch," Raven replied.

"Hunch-shala!" the aliens hopped and began scuttling towards the door.

"Maybe they want us to follow them," Pluto analyzed.

"Give the man a prize," Shadow quipped sarcastically.

"Okay team, let's-" Robin was cut off by the alarm. The little aliens panicked.

"It's alright, guys!" Raven tried to soothe the aliens.

"Yes, do not be alarmed by the alarm," Starfire added gently.

"It's Mumbo Jumbo," Robin told them. There were now 11 Titans, including Blackfire. "Okay, Blackfire, Terra, Pluto, Cyborg and Beast Boy, you're with me." He then said, "Starfire, Shadowcobra, Draco, Jinx, Raven, you guys help with these little guys." He shouted, "Titans! Go!"

* * *

Starfire, Shadow, Draco, Jinx and Raven followed the little aliens to the forest outside of Jump City. Raven and Starfire flew while Draco and Shadow rode on their Z-Riders. Jinx sat behind Draco on his dragonic motorcycle. When they had left the Tower, they found out the little guys had crossed the water by using a small makeshift raft. In the forest, they found the alien's ship. 

"Shala!" they cheered.

"Pretty big for some little guys, huh?" Draco whistled.

"It's so big and round and…yellow," Jinx said.

Yes, the ship looked like a big round yellow ball with pink portholes. There was also strange alien writing all over it. Shadow went to investigate. He looked over the writing and saw something shocking.

Starfire looked over his shoulder, "What is it that you have found?"

Shadow pointed and all of them, except the white midget aliens with yellow robes, hats and pink eyes, dropped their jaws and gasped.

"Is…" Draco started.

"…that…" Jinx continued.

"…Raven?" Starfire finished.

In fact it was a carved likeness of Raven on the surface of the ship, sitting on a throne and surrounded by a halo of light. The aliens bowed down at Raven's feet.

"Raven-shala, Raven-shala, Raven-shala," the alien chanted.

"Well, that explains why they treated you like royalty," Shadow summarized, "They think you're their goddess."

"No…way…" Raven muttered.

"No way-shala!" the aliens jumped.

"This is freaky, is it not?" Starfire asked.

"I concur with you Starfire," Shadow agreed.

"Hey!" Draco noticed something else, "Guys!" he touched a part of the ship. "Check this out!"

The Titans did and saw very large claw marks on the ship. The midget aliens had been attacked.

"What could've done this?" Jinx asked, afraid of knowing the answer.

"The claw marks look very familiar," Starfire said as she began to think hard. She then gasped in realization, "Locrix!"

"Bless you," Draco said.

"No, the Locrix! They were the ones who attacked our tiny friends!" Starfire clarified. "But I thought we defeated them all."

"I've heard of them," Shadow rubbed his chin, "My father told me about them. Very dangerous and they live upon the destruction of others."

"Val Yor was the one that told us of them," Starfire noticed the look on Shadow's face and apologized, "Oh, I am sorry, friend. I know that you do not wish to talk about him ever again nor hear his name."

Shadow sighed, "It's okay, Starfire."

Draco then touched the claw mark. "Uh oh." He gulped.

"What?" Jinx asked.

"These claw marks," his eyes narrowed, "They're fresh."

The Titans tensed up. The boys and the girls got ready with their powers.

"Stay close to me," Raven said to her little friends.

"Close-shala!"

Things were very tensed. The Locrix could be close and that what scared them. Starfire and Raven knew what the Locrix were capable of but the Knights and Jinx had no idea of what they were facing.

Suddenly, there was a rustling and out from the trees above, something fell, something big.

Draco, Jinx and Starfire jumped and aimed their glowing hands at the object before blanching in disgust.

It was the mangled, mutilated and slashed up carcass of a bear.

"That is sick and wrong!" Draco stuck out his tongue, appearing to gag.

"Agreed," Jinx nodded.

"The Locrix did all this?" Starfire gasped.

"Afraid so," Shadow narrowed his eyes and scanned the area, "Come out," he dared, "Come on out."

"I hate waiting," Draco gripped his fists.

There was a rustling and the 5 Titans found themselves surrounded by grayish and bulky monsters with 5 glowing eyes and big black claws. The Locrix then charged at the Titans. Luckily, there were only 5 Locrix but they were strong.

"Bring it on," Draco challenged as he activated the claw mode of his Dragauntlet. Shadow smirked and summoned his cobra staff.

"TITANS! CHARGE!" Shadow shouted and the 5 went on the attack.

The battle was pretty easy since Starfire and Raven had faced these creatures before while as the Knights have had experience fighting numerous kinds of monsters.

Starfire let out a battle cry and blasted one of the Locrix apart with her Starbolts.

Draco surrounded his whole body with fire and charged, slamming his fist right through the alien monster. His fist went right through, sticking out of the monster's back. Draco withdrew his arm, leaving a large, smoking, gaping hole in its body as it fell dead.

"Azerath, Metrion, Zinthos!" Raven pulled the alien midgets' ship out of the ground and slammed it on top of the Locrix. Her little subjects cheered and chanted her name.

"Raven-shala! Raven-shala! Raven-shala!"

Shadow circled around his opponent. The Locrix let out a cry and charged. However, Shadow turned intangible, allowing the alien to go right through him. Shadow then slammed his palm onto the ground. "SHADOW PUPPET!" he cried out. A black shadow extended from his palm and attached itself to the Locrix's own shadow. The alien found itself frozen solid. Shadow smirked and then his mark glowed red as he fired a concentrated beam of Shadow energy from his staff right through the Locrix, impaling it by a large black shadow spike, skewering it like shish kabob. Shadow deactivated his powers and the alien dropped dead.

Jinx was having a difficult time against her own opponent. She could only flip away from it as it backed her into a corner. She now found no way out of this predicament. The alien let out a cry and attempted to slash her face off. Jinx let out a hex and it slammed into a tree behind the Locrix. The tree suddenly dropped onto the Locrix's head and comically began bouncing up and down on it, pushing it deeper into the ground. Jinx then grinned and fired a hex straight at the creature's head. The Locrix experienced the worst type of bad luck as it exploded with a flash of pink energy. Jinx grinned and then was grabbed from behind. She shrieked and instinctively threw whatever grabbed her over her shoulder and into a tree. She cracked her eye open and saw what she had thrown and gasped, "BABY!"

"I'm okay…" Draco said in a daze as his eyes began swirling around with tiny mini Jinxes circling around his head. She gingerly approached him and helped him up.

"Are you okay? I am so sorry," Jinx apologized, pleading.

"I should be sorry for scaring you," Draco chuckled, lightening the mood. "Ow," he groaned.

"Well, that takes care of that," Shadow said simply, "Now let's get this thing home," he pointed two of his fingers at the round yellow ship and transported it to the Tower using teleportation. "Cyborg and Pluto might be able to fix it."

"Are you sure, Shadow?" Raven was uncertain of Shadow's claim. "You know what they're like," she reminded.

"I have full faith in their abilities, at least in Cyborg's," he admitted. "Pluto is a different matter,"

"In the mean time," Draco pointed behind him. "What will we do with them?" he was talking about the alien midgets that worshipped the ground Raven walked on.

"Raven-shala! Raven-shala! Raven-shala!" they chanted.

"We've had cows in the Tower before and penguins," Raven listed, "What's little alien midgets?"

"Plus, they are adorable," Starfire beamed.

"And they could be of help," Jinx finished.

Shadow sighed, "I guess. Let's get back to the Tower and tell the others about the Locrix." He added, "Hopefully, that's the last time we see those things."

* * *

Later, in the Tower Garage… 

"Well, let's get to fixing," Pluto said confidently as he put on a welding mask.

"Are you sure about this, Plutes?" Cyborg asked nervously.

"What could happen?" Pluto shrugged.

"Okay…"

* * *

Meanwhile, Robin was having a meeting in his room with Raven, Shadowcobra and Draco. They were discussing on why the Locrix were after them in the first place. So far they had nothing, not even a clue. 

"Why would the Locrix be after them?" Robin asked.

"Maybe for the fun of it," Draco answered. "Shadow did say they lived for destruction."

"I did. But the Locrix must have a reason other than total massacre," Shadow added.

"Still if the Locrix are after them, we have to keep them safe," Raven concluded.

Shadow sighed, "Raven, the only reason you're letting them stay is that they're treating you like a princess."

Raven smirked, "Jealous, Shadow?"

"No I am not!" Shadow hissed.

"It sounds like you are," Draco grinned.

"Don't you start!" he hissed.

"Okay guys, settle down," Robin calmed down the situation, "I have to admit that they've been helpful around the Tower. They do all the chores so that we have more time to plan, train and relax."

"One of the many consolations, Robin," Shadow said.

"But we also can't just let them stay here. This isn't their home," Robin added.

"So how are we going to get them back to their home planet?" Draco asked. "Their ship's busted and Cy and Plutes haven't been able to get it up and running yet."

"And the T-Ship has very little capacity," Raven nodded.

"Well, we just have to wait this out guys. Sooner or later, that ship is gonna have to fly," Robin crossed his arms.

* * *

Later, in the living room, the alien were serving Raven on hand and foot. They were giving Raven a back massage on the couch while fanning her and feeding her fruit. 

"A little to the left," she sighed.

"Left-shala!"

Shadow raised an eyebrow at this and questioned, "Um…Raven? Are you sure about this?"

"What do you mean?" she asked. "It's been a long time since I've been pampered."

"But I pamper you," he said.

"Yeah, but you always expect sex out of me right after," she narrowed her eyes as she let out a moan. "Sides, this is only temporary."

Shadow went back to his book, "I guess."

* * *

The next few days were very peaceful. With the aliens doing all the chores, the Titans had more time to relax and train, mostly relax. The place was also completely spotless and while the Titans were on missions, the little aliens could watch the Tower as well as make sure Silkie was properly fed, much to Starfire's delight. They took to sleeping in Raven, their queen's, room and woke up early to do her bidding.

* * *

Day 1 

Draco woke up and saw the breakfast table filled to the brim with food. He rubbed his eyes and saw the little aliens cooking. "What the…" he muttered. He also saw several of the other aliens cleaning the living room like dusting, vacuuming and wiping the windows. Since they were so small, they had to stand on each other's shoulders. They were surprisingly efficient for their size.

* * *

Day 2 

Pluto was working on his Blue Hound. He was under the chassis. "Wrench," someone handed him a wrench. "Thanks."

"Thanks-shala!"

* * *

Day 3 

The Titans girls were on the coast of their island in bathing suits and lying on beach mats. The midget aliens were pampering them by giving them massages, serving them drinks, food and fanning them. In other words, they were being treated like princesses.

"This is the life," Jinx sighed as she was being given a foot massage.

"I know," Terra agreed as a few of the aliens were fanning her and feeding her grapes.

"This is not very different from my life in the palace of Tamaran, though," Starfire added as she lay on her stomach, sunbathing.

"I miss that life. A little to the right please," Blackfire said as the aliens massaged her.

Raven lay contently on the beach mat wearing a bathing suit that looked like a sleeveless version of her leotard. Being like this reminded of her time being stranded on the alien's home planet. They were feeding her, messaging her back and fanning her with leaves. She let out a contented sigh, "Aaaahhhh."

"Aaaaaaahhhhh-shala!"

* * *

Day 4 

The little aliens were quite helpful around the Tower. They could get to hard to reach places while cleaning up and pretty soon the place was shining and spotless.

"The floors are so clean that you can even eat off them," Pluto admitted

"I can see my reflection in the floor too. Nice!" Beast Boy grinned.

Terra rolled her eyes and giggled.

"You know," Jinx said, "These guys aren't that bad at all. Too bad we can't keep them."

"Are you sure if they even want to stay, friend Jinx?" Starfire asked.

"Call it a hunch, Star, or wishful thinking."

"Well, they sure can whip up a good steak platter," Cyborg licked his lips.

"And my clothes have never been so clean," Blackfire smiled.

* * *

Day 5 

Pretty soon, Pluto and Cyborg finally got the ship working. Now the Titans were on the roof, ready to send their tiny friends on their merry way.

"We'll miss you little dudes!" Beast Boy called.

"Don't forget to write!" Pluto added.

"And drive safely!" Cyborg gave them a thumb's up.

"I shall miss you sweet adorable mini extra terrestrials," Starfire waved.

"Me too," Blackfire smiled, "You can do my laundry anytime."

"Mine too," Jinx grinned.

"I'll miss all the breakfasts you made," Draco waved.

"Have a safe trip," Robin waved.

"Keep on rocking!" Terra pumped her fist.

Shadow crossed his arms and gave them a nod.

Raven began tearing but smiled nonetheless. She waved, "Bye guys."

The little aliens waved back and chanted, "Bye-Raven-shala! Bye-Raven-shala!" they entered their yellow ship and blasted off into outer space set on a course back to their home planet.

The Titans went back into the Tower and saw a very large and surprising sight.

It was a large sculpture of Raven, with her cloak and arms spread out. It was beautiful.

"Looks like they left you a present, luv," Shadow grinned.

"Shadow, shut up," Raven blushed.

"You look like you need a massage," Shadow got behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders. Raven let out a moan. The other Titans decided to leave the two alone.

"You missed this, didn't you?" Raven asked as she sat down and Shadow sat down behind her, continuing to pamper and serve her.

"You have no idea, Raven," Shadow muttered. "Anything I can get you, luv? Herbal tea? A book? Some fruit?"

To Be Continued…

ZK Chromedragozoid: I've been conceiving this chapter after I watched that episode of Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends with the Scribbles. It seemed like a good idea at the time so I went with it. R and R people.


	16. PT016: Chinese New Year Magic

Part 16: Chinese New Year Magic

One of the local banks was being robbed one night and since the three Knights were on patrol, it was their job to handle it.

Bank robbers, an easy job, right? Wrong! It just so happened that it wasn't your typical run of the mild bank robbers. Oh no, it was just one, more specifically, Adonis.

"You dare to challenge Adonis? You are all fools," he gloated.

"Actually," Shadowcobra began saying while twirling around his staff, "You're the fool."

"Look around you, Adonis. There's three of us and only one of you," Pluto said as he drew his sword.

"So before anyone gets hurt, I suggest you put down the money and give yourself up, nice and easy," Draco added in his two cents.

"Adonis says, NO!" Adonis rushed at them and began swinging his fists around.

"Scatter!" Pluto ordered and they all split up to attack Adonis from different angles. Pluto tried to slash Adonis's armor with his sword but didn't even make a scratch. Adonis laughed and punched Pluto but he dodged. Pluto leapt over him and landed on his back. Adonis quickly backed up into a wall and slammed Pluto into it before turning around and grabbing the Knight by the neck.

"Hah!" The armored brute laughed, "Is this the best you can do? You new Titans are a joke!" He continued laughing.

"Are we?" Pluto smirked under his helmet. Adonis had a clueless look on his face before he realized he forgot something. A fireball slammed him from behind and he turned to see Draco with his flaming gauntlets aimed right at him. Adonis roared with rage and went for the Dragon Knight, dropping Pluto. Shadowcobra appeared next to him.

"You alright?" Shadowcobra asked.

Pluto gave him a thumb's up, "Nothing can keep me down!" Shadowcobra rolled his eyes.

Meanwhile, Adonis was having trouble trying to land a hit on Draco, but to no avail as the Dragon Knight was too quick for him.

"WHY (Draco dodges) WON'T (Draco flips over him) YOU (Draco sidesteps a punch)STAY STILL!" Adonis shouted with frustration. He swung his fist again and this time it hit Draco right in the face. Draco recovered and grabbed the fist with his hands. He smirked and then turned around to flip the gargantuan over his back, slamming him hard on the floor. Adonis growled and attempted to get up, but several ropes of shadow energy wrapped around his body.

Adonis laughed, "You think you are mightier than Adonis? I eat small fry like you for breakfast!" He laughed louder and with a grunt, broke the ropes and stood over the three Knights. "Suffer my wrath!"

Pluto pointed out, "Hey, metal muscle head, look behind you." Adonis turned his head.

"NO!" he yelled. It was an EMP bomb. He tried to get the device off. However, his armor was getting in the way

Pluto started counting down, "3…"

Shadowcobra continued, "2…"

And Draco added, "1…"

Adonis's eyes bulged out.

All three Knights finished at the same time, "0."

The device activated and sent a surge of electromagnetic energy throughout his suit, frying and shortening it out. Shadowcobra ripped the suit open with a shadow energy claw and lifted Adonis up. They called the police and they took him away.

Pluto yawned, "That was a bit tiring," remarked Pluto.

Shadowcobra said dully, "Hardly. It was just a shrimp in a super powered suit."

Draco turned to his two friends, "We should report this to the other Titans tomorrow coz man I'm beat!"

The Knights hopped onto their Z-Riders and raced into a nearby store window and used the mirror portal to get back to the Tower.

Draco yawned as he deactivated his armor, "I'm ready for a cat nap guys," he rubbed his eyes and smacked his lips.

"Goodnight, guys," Pluto said as he went into his room. Draco and Shadowcobra said goodnight as well as they entered their rooms too.

* * *

The next morning, Pluto woke up and yawned. He scratched himself and walked into his bathroom. The odd thing was there was a large bulge in the back of his pants, which he did not notice. He took out his toothbrush, squeezed out the paste and began brushing his teeth. He was a bit tired, so he did not notice anything right away. He wiped the water off his mirror before he spat into his sink. He looked up at his mirror and his eyes widened.

* * *

Shadowcobra was feeding his pet python, piranha and tarantula when a yawn came out. His tongue came out and it was forked. He scratched his arm and felt it was a little rough. He yawned again and walked into his bathroom to take a shower. He took his shower and after he was done, he went to brush his teeth/fangs. As he was brushing, he noticed something wrong. Even when his eyes were closed, he could still see. He then looked into the mirror and made a shocking discovery.

* * *

Draco yawned and jumped out of bed. He zoomed into his bathroom and looked at the mirror, admiring himself. "Good morning, handsome." He then looked at his nails. They were long and sharp, "Man, I need to trim these." He picked up his tooth brush and squeezed out the paste. He began brushing his teeth. When he was done, he took the brush out to see that it was all chewed up and the bristles mangled. He scratched his head and that was when he felt it. He looked into the mirror and…

* * *

"AAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Three different screams rang through and shook the Tower, shocking everyone in it.

"What the Hell was that?" Beast Boy exclaimed, confused. Terra shrugged.

"That was Draco!" Jinx exclaimed, panicking, before running towards the direction of the scream.

"And I think that was Pluto!" Blackfire yelled. Worried for her boyfriend, she too ran after Jinx.

"And Shadow's screamed too," said Raven before she ran after the two girls.

"What is going on?" Starfire asked, confused.

"I dunno, Star, but we better check it out," said Robin.

"And miss my breakfast?" Cyborg said in disbelief, "Uh uh! No way!"

"Cyborg! You're breakfast can wait. The Knights could be in trouble!"

Cyborg groaned, "Fine, let's go!" Beast Boy and Terra looked at each other and then followed after their friends.

The Titans were in the area where the Knights rooms were. Jinx, Blackfire and Raven were knocking on their doors.

"Baby! Open up!" Jinx yelled as she knocked.

"No! Don't come in!" Draco yelled from behind the door. Inside his room, he was lying in bed with his blankets covering him and a hot water bottle on his head.

"Why not, baby?" she asked, worried.

"I'm sick!" he began coughing, "See?"

Jinx frowned, "You poor baby," she said, pouting. "Let Jinxy come in so she can take care of you."

"Shadow, open up," Raven demanded, "Now."

"Raven, please, I don't want you to come in," Shadowcobra begged. He was in bed and had the blanket covering him.

"Why?" she asked.

"Becaussssse…I have the Vampire-Pox!" he answered. He muttered to himself, "Vampire-Pox? Great, I'm becoming ssssstupid like Beast Boy. No one's going to believe that."

Raven narrowed an eye and raised an eyebrow, "Vampire-Pox?" she was suspicious.

"It's a…vary rare disease that infects Vampires or Vampire half breedsssss. Don't come in, I don't want you to get infected." He hissed.

Raven raised an eyebrow, "If it only infects Vampires, then how could I get infected? And was that hissing?"

"No it wasn't!"

"Pluto, open up!" Blackfire yelled as she knocked on the door.

"No! You can't come in!" he yelled back.

"And why not?"

"Because I'm naked!" He shouted.

Everyone else diverted their attention to Pluto's door.

Blackfire raised her eyebrow in curiosity, "Why are you naked?"

"Be…because I wanted to check for something," he replied.

Blackfire grimaced in disgust, "Okay, eew!" and then she grinned when she realized he WAS NAKED!

Robin was getting suspicious. "Guys, what's going on?" he yelled.

"NOTHING!" They yelled back.

Robin pulled something out of his belt. It was a remote control of some sort. He spoke into it, "Manual override activate."

The doors automatically opened up.

Raven, Starfire and Robin ran into Shadowcobra's room.

Blackfire, Beast Boy, Terra and Cyborg ran into Pluto's room.

Jinx ran into Draco's room.

* * *

Draco's room.

Jinx gasped and looked at Draco who was hiding under his covers.

"You poor baby!" she said before she went over to Draco, "You must be really sick."

_You have no idea…_He thought, moaning.

"Let me check how hot you are," she placed her hand to his forehead, "Oh my, you're burning up!"

_You don't know the half of it! _"Yeah, maybe it's a flu bug or something," he smiled, nervously.

"And you're sweating!" she moved her hand to the hot water bottle, "I think I should take this off and…"

* * *

Shadowcobra's room.

"I think you should wait outside," Raven said as she pushed Robin and Starfire out with her powers. She then closed the door. She turned back to the bed and stared at Shadowcobra. She placed her hands to her hips and asked, "Okay, be straight with me. What's going on? And please don't say you have the Vampire-Pox again. Who do you think I am, Beast Boy?"

Shadowcobra sighed, "I knew I could never fool you, hissss…" he removed his blankets and Raven's eyes widened.

* * *

Pluto's room

Blackfire, Terra, Cyborg and Beast Boy saw the lump under the blankets and raised their eyebrows. Blackfire walked over to the bed and tugged at the covers. Pluto tugged back. She tugged again, but Pluto resisted. Finally, with all her alien might, she pulled the covers right off to see…

* * *

"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Three different feminine screams rang through the Tower followed by simultaneous thumps as the three girls fainted.

* * *

Later, the Knights were seated in the living room with all the other Titans standing around them. We could now see what they were hiding. Shadowcobra had purple scales all over his body and his hair had been replaced by a cobra's hood, Draco had a pair of horns and red scales and Pluto had a pair of pointy dog ears on his head and a tail.

Finally, Beast Boy spoke up, "Dudes! What happened to you guys!"

"Yes my friends," Starfire added, "Why do you have animal parts attached to your bodies?"

Draco replied, "I guess that we have some explaining to do, huh?"

Raven retorted, "Draco, you've got horns and scales, Pluto has dog ears and a tail, and Shadow has scales and a cobra's hood. I think you should tell us what's going on."

Shadowcobra remarked, "I think I should be the one to tell you."

Robin spoke, "Shoot."

"All Lunar Zodiac Knights experience this every year. It's like a curse. What happens is that we all turn into the animals our armors are based on," Shadowcobra explained, "This is actually the third time this has happened for us."

Robin then said, "So what's you're all saying is that, Draco's turning into a dragon, Pluto's turning into a dog, and you're turning into a snake?"

"Exactly. That would explain the animal parts on us," Shadowcobra answered.

Pluto looked at his hands. Suddenly they morphed into furry grey paws. "Oh boy," he said.

Raven spoke, "Well…this is interesting."

Jinx said, "Tell me about it." she turned to Draco, "But don't worry, Baby, we'll take good care of you." She smiled

Draco smiled back, "Thanks Jinxy-chan!" suddenly a pair of whiskers grew above his lip and his teeth turned razor sharp.

Shadow's change was the weirdest yet. His arms suddenly disappeared. Everyone's, save for Draco and Pluto, eyes bulged.

"Okay…" Cyborg said warily, "This is a bit creepy.

Beast Boy added, "Tell me about it."

"Do not worry my friends, we will help whenever we can. I know how you feel," said Starfire with a smile.

Shadowcobra's pants ripped apart to reveal that his legs had fused and turned into a long snake tail. Shadow said skeptically, "Really? I really doubt that."

"Have you ever been a cocoon before?" Robin asked Shadowcobra. He raised an eyebrow. "Long story," Robin said.

Blackfire was currently tying a collar onto Pluto's neck. This caused everyone to sweat drop.

"Um…Black, what are you doing?" Pluto asked.

"You'll be a dog soon right? That means that this dog collar won't be money down the drain," she smiled brightly.

Suddenly, puffs of smoke started surrounding the Knights. Everyone panicked. When the smoke cleared, the Knights were replaced by a 2 foot long purple and yellow cobra, a grey wolf dog and a 1 and a half foot long red Chinese dragon.

"Okay, this is embarrassing," Draco said in his dragon form. "I'm puny!"

"At least you have legs," hissed Shadow.

Pluto was scratching himself with his hind leg and wagging his tail.

All the other Titans had their eyes wide and sweatdropped.

"This is one weird day," said Terra.

"Hey!" said Beast Boy, "I turn into animals too. No one think that's weird or nothing!"

"You change into animals all the time, BB! Nothing strange about that," said Cyborg.

Raven picked up Shadowcobra and Jinx picked up Draco. Shadow actually coiled his serpentine body around Raven's arm. "Looks like you're stuck with me, huh," said Raven, smiling.

Shadowcobra looked downcast, "I'm sorry you had to see me like this," he said, hissing. Raven gave him a small peck on the nose and he blushed.

"It's just a phase, right? She said.

Blackfire petted Pluto on the head and smiled. "Now you're really MY dog," she smirked.

Pluto wagged his tail and barked.

Jinx had Draco resting himself on her shoulder. She said, "I wasn't expecting this from you at all, Baby."

"I know," Draco groaned. He sneezed and sent a blast of flames right at Robin's hair. His eyes widened and he looked at Jinx. Jinx only smirked and shushed him.

Robin sniffed the air, "Does anyone else smell something burning?"

"Robin! Your hair is on fire!" Starfire gasped.

"WHAT?" Robin screamed and ran to the kitchen sink to put out his hair. Everyone was laughing. Robin stomped back into the living room and glared at Draco. Draco only shrugged.

"How long will this thing last?" Robin asked, hair charred and smoking.

"Until tonight, at midnight," answered Shadow. "Tomorrow's the first day of the new lunar year. I think it'll be the year of the Dog."

Robin thought back, "Oh yeah, I think Chinatown is being decorated for that." He looked to the other Titans, "I know what we should do, let's celebrate Chinese New Year!"

All the other Titans looked at each other and nodded.

Starfire looked confused, "But Robin, it is not yet the first of the month of January."

Robin rubbed the back of his head a bit and smiled, "I'll explain later, Star. Right now, let's have some breakfast."

Draco licked his dragon lips, "Music to my ears."

Shadow hissed and it seemed that he was smiling. Pluto barked, "I'm starving."

Pluto had to eat on the floor, however. As he ate from a doggy bowl, he glared at his comrades who were allowed to eat on the table. Draco could only shrug and Shadow just coiled himself on the table.

It was Cyborg's turn to make breakfast and it was his usual bacon, toast and scrambled eggs. Beast Boy had his usual Tofu substitutes. Draco smacked his lips and picked up a fork and spoon. He smirked at Shadowcobra, showing off his razor sharp dragon teeth in a grin. Shadow glared and attempted to pick up a fork with his tail, only for it to slip out. Draco laughed. Shadowcobra cracked his tail on Draco's head like a whip and Draco winched. Shadowcobra then proceeded to eat breakfast like a snake could. He unhinged his jaw and started with the bacon, swallowing each strip whole.

"This is very unusual," remarked Starfire

"You don't have to worry, guys," said Draco, "We'll only be like this till midnight."

Suddenly, the alarm sounded. Robin rushed to the computer. There was a blip at the bank identified as Mumbo Jumbo. "Titans! It's Mumbo…again."

"That two-bit hack of a magician turned thief?" Shadowcobra hissed. "He'll be easy."

Raven shook her head, "I think you'll have to sit this one out, Shadow."

"You too, Baby," Jinx put Draco down.

"WHAT?" Draco and Shadowcobra gasped.

"Does that mean me too?" Pluto asked before he began chasing his tail. The Titans sweatdropped.

"I'm afraid so, Pluto," Blackfire scratched Pluto's head. His tail wagged and he shook his leg over and over at the attention with his tongue hanging out.

"I believe Robin is right," Starfire admitted sadly. "I am sorry, friends." She said to Shadowcobra. The snake looked downcast.

"Besides," Beast Boy puffed out his chest.

"We can take him!" Cyborg finished, flexing his muscles.

"Those two are right. There's 8 of us and one of him," Terra winked confidently, "We can take him."

Raven put Shadow down next to Draco and pet him on the head. "You'll be in danger like this without your powers and I don't want you getting hurt."

Shadow looked down, too ashamed to meet her own gaze, "I believe you are right, luv. I'll stay."

"But I can breathe fire!" Draco demonstrated. "See?"

"And all Mumbo has to do is conjure up a seltzer bottle to put you out," Jinx pointed out. "And knowing him, he might use you as a prop or something for his acts." She crouched down and met his eyes, "I don't want you getting hurt, baby."

Draco averted her gaze and Jinx frowned.

"Alright team!" Robin shouted, "TITANS GO!"

* * *

"I'm so bored!" Draco lay on the couch, puffing smoke out of his nostrils. "I mean, where's the action?"

"Of why don't you shut up?" Shadowcobra hissed, coiled up next to him. "While we're in these forms we're very much incapacitated."

"And without opposable thumbs," Pluto whimpered. Shadowcobra rolled his eyes and flicked Pluto on the nose. "Ow!"

"Stop your whining, mongrel!" Shadowcobra hissed.

"What are you gonna do about it, huh, snake eyes?" Pluto challenged.

"Why don't you go chase your tail?" Shadowcobra countered.

"And why don't you go shed yourself?" Pluto shot back.

The large dog and long snake glared at one each other growling and hissing at one another. Pluto attempted to snap his teeth onto Shadow but the snake slithered itself around and coiled tightly around Pluto's muzzle. "Hah!" Shadowcobra laughed.

Pluto's speech was a bit muffled, "Get off my snout!"

"Make me!" Shadow hissed back.

"ENOUGH!" Draco roared and blasted the two with a fireball. Shadow and Pluto got off each other and landed on opposite ends of the room.

"HE STARTED IT!" The dog and cobra pointed at each other.

"And I'm gonna finish it if you don't shut up!" Draco growled. "Look, we're all getting a bit stir crazy but we have to make the best of the situation. Every year it's the same thing so let's just sit quietly and wait for the New Year to come, okay? Okay." He then dozed off and began snoring.

Pluto growled and Shadowcobra hissed as they gave each other one last glare before going back to sleep.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the Wilson's mansion.

"Ow…" Grant messaged his nose. "That hurt…"

"Serves you right!" Copycat snarled as she set herself down on Rose's lap. That's right, Copycat was now a cat. She purred as Rose began scratching behind her ears.

­

* * *

Several hours later…

The dog, snake and dragon woke up. Draco was the first to see that the clock was now at 10.56 pm. "Did we really sleep that long?" he yawned. In about an hour, the curse would be lifted.

"Huh?" Pluto blinked as he yawned and scratched himself. Shadowcobra also woke up and rubbed himself against the rug.

"That felt good…" he hissed.

"Where are the others?" Draco asked. "It' already late."

Pluto shrugged, "Maybe they're on another mission or something."

"No…" Shadowcobra hissed as he went to the computer. He slithered up to the console and began tapping random keys. "That's weird…"

"What?" Pluto asked as he trudged up towards the computer with Draco on his back.

"It says here Mumbo is still at large and the Titans are nowhere to be found," Shedowcobra frowned, or at least frowned as much as he could as a snake. "This is bad," he hissed.

"Do you think Mumbo has captured them?" Draco asked.

"Possible…" Shadow hissed and he slithered down back to the floor. "Let's go."

"Where?" Draco asked.

"Save the Titans of course!" Shadow hissed as he made his way to the elevator.

"But how?" Pluto asked. "We don't have our powers in these forms."

"Maybe not us, but he does," Shadowcobra pointed his tail at Draco.

"I do?" the dragon grinned and rubbed his claws together, "Yeah, I do…" his nostrils flared up.

"Good." Shadowcobra tried to reach for the elevator button. He tried again but with no avail. He turned for help, "Pluto…a little help here?"

Pluto's ear perked and he walked up to the elevator and sat. Draco stood up on his head and pressed on the elevator button.

"Let's go!" Shadow hissed as he slithered into the elevator, followed by Pluto and Draco.

* * *

"Alright!" Pluto barked, "We're outside."

"Now all we have to do is to get off this island," Shadowcobra spoke, "But how?" he then turned to Draco.

"Why are you looking at me like that? Guys? Guys?"

* * *

"You guys seriously need to lose some weight!" Draco struggled as he was carrying Pluto with his claws while Shadow was safely coiled around Pluto's tail. Draco was flying them over the water and straight to the city.

"Just don't let go," Pluto whimpered, looking down at the water. "I don't think I ever learnt how to dog paddle."

"Just stop your whimpering and don't move about too much," Shadowcobra hissed. "Okay, we're here. You can put us down now…"

Draco slowly descended onto the ground with Pluto and Shadowcobra. He fell on the ground, completely drained. Pluto and Shadowcobra's eyes widened.

"Okay, this is weird," Shadowcobra said.

"Ditto," Pluto agreed.

"What?" Draco asked, still tired. He then saw what they were looking at and his eyes bugged out.

Bunny rabbits were hopping all over the city, the buildings were now houses of cards, the cars were now clown cars, the streetlights looked like candy canes and books were flying in the air like birds.

"This is most definitely Mumbo's work," Pluto said.

"What was your first clue?" Shadowcobra hissed. "Come on, we have to find Mumbo. Find him and we find the Titans."

"But where do we start?" Draco asked. Shadowcobra pointed to the only building that wasn't made of cards. It was designed to look exactly like Mumbo's head with a sign saying, "The Amazing Mumbo Jumbo and the Great Titanimals. One Night Only"

"Okay…" Draco said, not knowing what to think.

"Let's get going." Shadowcobra climbed onto Pluto's back followed by Draco. "Let's go!"

* * *

The Titans were all in cages and turned into the exact same animals they were the last time. Blackfire, Terra and Jinx were brand new additions. Terra was a duck, Blackfire was a wolf and Jinx was a tiny pink kitten. They were all up on stage including the insane blue faced magician.

"And for my next and final trick," Mumbo announced, "I shall make the Titans…Disappear!" he laughed.

"You won't get away with this!" Robin yelled as he gripped the bars of his cage.

"Oh, au contraire, Wonder Monkey Boy," Mumbo wagged his finger.

"I don't wanna disappear," Jinx whimpered.

"Now, why don't you all be good little Titans and…Disappear!" he waved his wand around. Suddenly, something long and purple dropped on his nose. "He picked it up. "What is this? It looks like a…"

"Boo," Shadowcobra hissed.

"SNAKE!" Mumbo screamed as he dropped the cobra.

Shadowcobra shouted, "PLUTO! GET HIM!"

"Wha-YEOWCH!" Mumbo's butt was now caught between Pluto's sharp teeth. The mad magician ran around screaming like crazy. "GET OFF ME! GET OFF ME! GET OFF ME!" The Titans blinked.

"Huh?" Jinx then saw Draco pop up in front of her. "Baby!" she meowed, happy to see him.

"Hold on Jinxy-chan!" he flicked out a claw and began picking the lock. He then heard a click and withdrew his claw before pulling the door open. Jinx immediately pounced on him and purred, licking his scaly face.

"You saved me!"

"Can we do this later Jinx?" Draco asked, "We have to release the others." He ran to the other cages and repeated the same procedure to pick the locks.

"GET OFF!" Mumbo swung about. There was a rip and then Mumbo saw that a piece of his pants had been torn off. Pluto spat out the fabric in his mouth.

"Yuck!" he said. "I'll never get that taste out."

"Why you little…" Mumbo snarled angrily, pointing his wand at the snake and dog, "You'll pay for this!"

"But first," Shadowcobra pointed behind Mumbo. "Look behind you."

"Huh?" Mumbo did and gulped. The Titans were all free and none looking too pleased.

"Titans! Go!" Robin ordered and the now animal looking Titans attacked the magician. Mumbo screamed as he was being creamed.

"Pluto!" Robin grabbed Mumbo's wand, "Fetch!" he threw the wand.

"NOOOOOOOOO!" Mumbo screamed as Pluto caught it and snapped it in half. "My powers!" his skin turned back to normal and all of his magician clothes disappeared. Everything else in the city had also been turned back to normal, including the Titans. Well, not all the Titans. Draco, Pluto and Shadowcobra were still animals.

Jinx, Raven and Blackfire kissed their boyfriends on their snouts and the trio of Zodiac Animals passed out.

"Hey guys," Robin began, "What time is it?"

Cyborg checked his watch, "It's midnight." Smoke began puffing around the Knights. "Hey!"

The smoke cleared up and The Knights were back to normal, complete with their clothes.

"I'm back to my beautiful self!" Pluto grinned as he checked himself in a mirror. "And no fleas!"

"Good for you…" Shadow hissed. "I think I was shedding."

Draco belched, puffing out a ring of smoke. His tummy rumbled, "And I'm starving."

"Hey, let's all celebrate!" Beast Boy said.

"Beast Boy," Shadowcobra smiled, "You took the words right out of my mouth."

"To Chinatown!" Pluto and Draco shouted.

* * *

The Titans were now in Chinatown. The place was decorated with red banners and paper lanterns to welcome the New Year. They were all dressed in traditional red Chinese garbs and eating Chinese goodies.

"That hit the spot," Draco said as he took a bite out of his moon cake.

Jinx leaned against her boyfriend's arm. "Um…" she purred, taking a bite out of a moon cake as well.

"Hey guys!" Pluto grinned, "Did you know it's the Year of the Dog?"

Cyborg and Beast Boy rolled their eyes, "We know…you've told us like a thousand times."

"This Chinese New Year is so bright and beautiful!" Starfire's eyes sparkled.

"I agree with you on that little sister," Blackfire nodded.

The parade was magnificent, including the Dragon and Lion dances that excited much curiosity from the Tamaranians. Raven was also interested as Shadowcobra told them the legends behind the Chinese New Year and its traditions.

Soon, it was time for the finale as the fireworks were fired into the air with a bang. The sky lit up with sparks of numerous colors and shapes, awing everyone who could see them.

"Now THOSE are fireworks," Robin smiled.

"I agree. Rockin' light show," Terra grinned.

The Titans then shouted, "HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR FROM THE TEEN TITANS!"

To Be Continued…

Well, that was a good Chinese New year fic, wasn't it?


	17. PT017: Robining

Part 17: Robining

I always thought that my life would never be normal and I was right. Well, being the only Japanese kid with natural red hair was one thing but being born with psychic powers also takes the cake. And if that wasn't enough, I joined the Teen Titans so I could fit in and since then I have never regretted my decision.

At first I though that my life could not get any weirder since I began living here but frankly, I was wrong.

It all started one day when Robin decided to leave to go train under the True Master again. And, because of that, Starfire, Cyborg, Beast Boy, Terra and Raven have gone about another Teen Titans tradition: Robining.

What is Robining you ask? Well, you are about to find out.

I entered the room intending to have breakfast when I noticed something extremely peculiar. Actually, it was more like 5 peculiar things.

Terra, Starfire, Cyborg, Raven and Beast Boy were all dressed up in Robin's uniforms. I blinked in confusion and rubbed my eyes. I muttered, "I knew I shouldn't have had that glass of milk before bed time. It must've been bad."

"Oh friend Draco!" Starfire called. "Come and join us on a day of Robining!"

"Robin…ing?" I raised an eyebrow and then Beast Boy yelled out, "Catch!" and threw something at me. I caught it and it turned out to be another set of Robin's uniform. "Huh?"

"Put it on dude!" Beast Boy told me, "And join in the fun!"

I gingerly agreed, "Okay." And ran back into my room, intending to put the costume on.

* * *

As I exited my room, I bumped into someone. We both fell on our butts. "Ouch!"

"Hey! Robin!" Jinxy-chan shouted, rubbing her sore bottom, "Watch where you're…Draco?"

"Hey Jinxy-chan," I greeted her, "Nice day we're having, aren't we?"

"Baby…" Jinxy-chan began, "Why are you dressed up like Robin?"

"Well, the other guys have this weird tradition every time Robin goes out of town. It's called Robining and we dress up in Robin's uniforms, complete with his masks and utility belts." I helped her up and did a twirl before taking on a dramatic pose, "What do you think?"

"Wow…" Jinxy-chan was amazed, "You certainly fill out that costume better than Robin did."

"Thanks Jinxy-chan!" I then surprised her by grabbing her shoulders and giving her a good morning kiss. Jinx purred and her eyes slowly closed. I reluctantly broke our kiss and smiled before an idea struck, "Hey, why don't you join in the fun as well? Be Robin for a day, what do you say?"

Jinxy-chan was deep in thought before answering, "I'll do it!"

"What's with all this bloody racket in the mor-" Shadow stopped in his tracks when he saw me. Pluto then bumped into him.

"Hey, Shadow! Give us a warning why don't-" his jaw dropped when he saw me. Blackfire was shocked too.

"Draco?" Shadow began, "You do know that you're wearing Robin's costume, right?"

"Doesn't it look great on me?" I did a little twirl. "The other guys are doing this too! Hey, why don't you join in as well?"

"The others?" Pluto's brain then clicked, "You mean Cy, BB, Star, Terra and Rae? They're all wearing Robin's costume?"

I nodded.

"This I gotta see," Blackfire grinned as she flew straight towards the living room.

"Hey, Blackfire!" Pluto shouted, "Wait for me!" he ran after her.

Shadow, me and Jinxy-chan were the only ones left in the hallway. He asked almost hesitant, "So…every one is dressed up as Robin?" I nodded. "Okay…I'll give it a try."

* * *

"I'm Robin!"

"No, I'm Robin!"

"I'm most certainly am Robin!"

Beast Boy, Cyborg and Pluto were all now wearing matching Robin costumes and were shouting out trying to pretend to be the best Robin possible.

Shadow groaned. He was too dressed in Robin's uniform. He looked at the colors, "How can he wear these colors anyway? It's like being a walking traffic light."

"He just does, I guess," I began playing with the utility belt and activated the Bo staff. "Cool!"

Shadow rolled his eyes, "Whatever…" he then sat down between Raven and Starfire. "I have to admit though, the mask makes me feel…cool."

Raven smiled, "I said the exact same thing when I tried this out."

"How does it feel, Shadow?" Starfire begged for an answer.

"I'm not crazy about the colors but I guess this does feel a little…fun," Shadow admitted.

"Told you," I grinned

"Hello, boys…" Blackfire and Jinxy-chan entered the room and mine and Pluto's jaws dropped. Jinx may have said that I filled out Robin's suit well but she was filling it out EXTREMRLY well. Blackfire didn't look too bad either. In fact, she looked really sexy. Pluto was starting to drool.

"Jinxy-chan? Wow," I gasped. She walked up to me and traced a green glove covered finger down my chin. I gulped.

"Like the way I look?" she said huskily. I could only nod.

"Blackfire, you look HOT!" Pluto told her.

"Why thank you," she told him, feeling flattered, "And you don't look too bad yourself, hot stuff!" she then whispered, "I once said that the cape made Robin look luscious and his mask made him mysterious, but they look much better on you."

"Geez Blackfire," Pluto blushed.

Terra rolled her eyes. "I can't believe I missed this the first time!" she said. "This just rocks, in a weird kinda way."

"Terra," I began, "We're teenagers with super powers and live in a giant T-shaped Tower. I think being weird is part of the job description."

"Well, I never said it was bad," she shrugged. Beast Boy hit himself in the head with Robin's Bo-staff. Pluto had accidentally set off one of Robin's freeze discs and froze his legs to the floor while Cyborg accidentally blinded himself with a flash disk. "We really have to learn how to use Robin's gear though."

"Before somebody gets hurt," I agree.

* * *

The day went on as usual. There were no emergencies so far and we continued on with the day still dressed like Robin. Shadow had taken Raven and disappeared somewhere private. They were probably on the roof. As I was passing through the hallway, a hand grabbed me by the sleeve and dragged me into a room before the door close shut. I stared at a familiar pair of pink eyes. "Hey, Jinxy-chan."

"Hello to you too, 'Robin'." She smirked.

"Jinx?" I pointed out, "I'm Draco, remember?" she giggled.

"Oh, Draco, I'm just playing here!"

"Oh, OK." I then noticed a strange look in her eyes even though she was wearing a domino mask. "Jinx?" she took my hand and then pulled me towards the…bed? OK…I think I know where this was going.

She purred as she kissed me and I melted into it, feeling utter pleasure. "Just relax and let me take care of it, okay?" she said very impishly.

"Whatever you say…'Robin'," I joked.

* * *

Later, Robin came back and demanded why the costumes that I, Pluto, Shadow, Blackfire, Jinx and Raven had been wearing were all wrinkly and covered in sweat. I don't think that he really wanted to know the answer though

To Be Continued…


	18. PT018: Weather Wackiness

Part 18: Weather Wackiness

Draco woke up and yawned, stretching his arms. He got off his bed and towards the window to pull the curtains open. "What a nice summer day…" he yawned, rubbing his eyes. As he turned he then whirled back around and looked out the window again. He rubbed his eyes in disbelief and then looked out again. "What in the name of Kamisama?" Titans Island was covered with snow. "Okay…This qualifies as weird…"

He pulled his communicator into his hand using telekinesis and flipped it open. The young Dragon Knight took a very deep breath and shouted, "GUYS! WAKE UP AND LOOK OUT THE WINDOW!" he roared, "**NOW!**"

* * *

Robin had called the Titans to the living room for an emergency meeting.

"Why is it freezing in here?" Jinx shivered.

"Someone messed with the heating somehow," Draco told her. "Here," he offered his scarf, wrapping it around her neck. Jinx blushed. He then focused his heat power into the scarf, warming her up. "How is it?"

"Good. Thanks," she smiled.

"Okay, somehow the weather is all messed up," Robin said.

"Robin," Shadowcobra began, "I think we have already established that fact when we looked out the window thanks to Draco."

"Right," Robin seemed nervous, "But not just here in Jump City." He took the remote and turned on the TV. It was the morning news.

"Strange weather patterns have been sighted all over the world. Everywhere, the weather is out of control even here in Jump City where it is snowing in the middle of summer," said the newscaster. Robin turned off the TV.

"So we have an early winter," Pluto shrugged, "What's the big deal?"

"It's not natural Plutes, that's the big deal," Cyborg told him.

"Oh."

"We have to go and investigate," Robin summarized. "Every flier will investigate in the air while the rest of us go and investigate on foot." He commanded, "Titans! Go!" they all stared at him, "Sorry, force of habit."

* * *

"Do we have to do this now?" Jinx shivered. She was on top of a roof with Draco. She was wearing a thick pink snow coat over her costume with a pair of black mittens and thicker stockings.

"Yep," Draco shrugged, "No matter how weird the weather we have to go on patrol, Jinxy-chan." He was clad in a black uniform with matching red gloves, boots and a scarf. He was also wearing his signature goggles and was not wearing any thick snow clothes. Of course, they were unneeded since he was able to generate heat without any trouble from his own body. He was generating so much heat that the snow under his boots had melted down and became water.

Jinx leaned against her boyfriend and sigh, comforted by the warmth he was emitting. Draco looked down at her and smiled. Sweeping her into his arms, he quickly kissed her. "Maybe this isn't so bad," she purred.

He agreed and ran his hand through her bubblegum pink hair. "It isn't. I'd rather go on patrol with you anytime than alone," he told her sweetly. This was why Jinx liked and loved him. He was so honest but somewhat dense at times. But that was just one of his charms.

"Well, while half the team is out investigating the recent strange weather patterns, the other half is out on patrol," Draco said.

"But what's the point?" Jinx asked. "I doubt any criminal with half a mind would be willing to come out in this weather. It's freezing." She grumbled, "Stupid Robin. Why couldn't he let us have a day off to enjoy the snow?"

"He's Robin. His job is always on his mind and enjoying the snow…" Draco picked up some snow and it melted in his hands. "I doubt I ever could. Snow and ice melt when I make contact with it," he sighed sadly.

"What's wrong?" Jinx asked, concerned.

"It's my metahuman mutation. My body generates heat when it's cold out so I don't catch a cold. Because of that I've never even gone ice skating."

"Never?" she sounded surprise.

"The ice melts under my feet and I fall in," he shivered, "I hate water!"

She felt sorry for him. "Maybe…maybe Pluto can build you a suit that blocks out your heat energy?"

Draco shrugged, "Maybe. But I don't have much faith in his tech nowadays. It always finds a way of backfiring."

"Like the Shrink Ray?" Jinx remembered, "That wasn't a walk in the park."

"And don't make me tell you about his hair tonic that turned my hair purple for a week!" Draco moaned, "My precious red hair."

"Don't see that many Japanese guys with natural red hair," Jinx commented.

Draco countered playfully, "And I've never seen that many American girls with natural pink hair."

They both laughed.

"Believe me," Draco chuckled, "This hair of mine has gotten me into tons of trouble. Gangsters, punks and bullies wanting a piece of me and teachers wouldn't get off my back thinking I'm a punk and telling me that I shouldn't walk around with red hair." He rolled his green eyes, "I try telling them that its natural but they never believe me."

"Must've been tough," Jinx commented.

"Not really," he shrugged. "I had tons of friends back home. Wonder how they're all doing now?"

"You miss them, don't you?"

"Yeah…"

Jinx frowned. If Draco was homesick, why didn't he tell her? He probably didn't want her to worry. "Are you homesick?"

"Huh?"

Jinx repeated, "Are you homesick, Baby?"

"A little," he admitted. He then tilted his head and leaned closer to capture her lips with his. Jinx was taken by surprise but was able to kiss back. Neither of them could keep their lips and hands off one another as he slowly pulled down the zipper of her snow coat to reveal her milky white skin. He licked his lips and began placing lips upon her collarbone. Pretty soon, things were going to start heating up. Her hands also began roaming around, going to his scarf and pulling it lose, allowing the length of cloth to slowly fall to the floor of the roof. She pulled him down and soon they were sitting on the ground. But it didn't end there. She pushed him down and was now lying on top of him. She sighed and purred contently, feeling his warmth. She removed the rest of her winter clothes and was now wearing only her usual witch's costume, stockings and boots. She licked her lips. Right now, she was going to leave her mark.

She leaned down and lightly bit him on the neck. He winced but soon let out a pleasurable moan as she began sucking on the spot. She then attended to other matters as she planted kisses on his neck, face and lips. Draco was starting to become warmer and the snow beneath his back was starting to melt. His costume and hair were getting drenched but he did not care. His hands ran up and down her back, making sure as not to touch her posterior. Once he had done it, accidentally, and it aroused Jinx a bit causing him to give him a very sensuous look before tackling him to bed and tearing his clothes off. He winced at the memory. The hex caster had left several scratch marks all over his back. Luckily, he was able to cover them all up. They continued to make out for the next few minutes.

It was at least a full half hour before their communicators simultaneously beeped. They immediately jumped off each other and grabbed their communicators before shouting out, "What?"

Pluto had to cover his ears. He was appearing in both their communicators. "Hey, what's with the screaming?"

"Nothing," Draco answered, slightly flushed.

"What is it Pluto?" Jinx asked in annoyed tone. She was also blushing bright red.

"Oh, I almost forgot," Pluto began, "Robin thinks it's the work of some guy called the Weather Wizard or something."

"Weather…Wizard?" Draco said, struggling not to laugh. What kind of a name was that?

"I remember him. I learnt about him from my old 'Know you Villains' class back at the HIVE!" Jinx said.

"What can he do? Does he have the power to control the weather or something?" Draco asked.

"Not exactly," Jinx said to him. "He's kinda like Dr. Light but instead of controlling light with a suit, he can control the weather by using some sort of device."

"Right, that's what Robin said. I'll send you a picture," Pluto finished before sending a picture of the infamous Weather Wizard.

"We can take him," Draco said confidently, flipping his communicator close.

"Well, that's true," Jinx nodded, "Without his equipment he's harmless." She licked her lips, "Now…where were we…?" she immediately glomped Draco and had her way with him on the roof. Actually, to be correct, He was letting her have her way with him. More or less, it was true as they were making out and forgetting about the mission.

Which was when Draco's feral senses were going crazy! "Jinx!" Draco pushed her away right before a large chunk of ice slammed in between the both of them. They gasped in shock. Draco went and inspected it, "That is no snowflake."

"It's a giant hail stone, that's what it is," she looked up, "And it seems a lot more are coming down!"

"Let's bail!" Draco grabbed her and her winter clothes and they leapt off the roof, right before several more giant hail stones dropped down from the sky. Draco fired his grappling claw and used it to swing them both down back to the ground. He let go of her and retracted his Dragrappler.

The streets were in utter chaos. These large hail stones were causing major damage. Windows were broken, cars were smashed up, buildings were getting pummeled and there were large craters formed by these giant chunks of ice. Jinx and Draco decided to do some crowd control.

"Everyone!" Draco shouted, "Try to remain calm! Do not panic!"

"Draco!" Jinx shouted, "There's somebody in this car! I can't get him out!" the dragon Knight rushed towards the car and pulled the door right off its hinges. There was man in the car and he was stuck. He carefully cut his seatbelt off and tried to get him out. He was jammed in tight between the dash board and his seat. Draco ordered Jinx, "Jinx, call for an ambulance, hurry!"

"Got it!"

Draco continued to help whenever he could. Some kids were about to be smashed by giant hail stones but Draco was able to save them by melting the ice with his fire powers. The kids thanked him, "Okay kids! Now go get to your parents!" they nodded and ran off.

"Thanks mister!" they waved. He waved back. Jinx stood next to him and smiled.

"What?" The Knight of Combustion asked, shrugging.

"You're really turning out to be a great hero," she complimented.

"Thanks Jinx," he blushed.

"Now let's get these people to shelter, alright?"

"Got it!"

They both smiled at each other before going off to save more lives.

Jinx was able to free a man's leg by smashing a giant ice chunk to pieces with one of her hexes. Draco was trying his best to erect a fire shield to block out the rest of the falling ice while Jinx got the civilians to safety. It was hard work for two of the Titans but it was all worth it.

Soon enough, everyone had been evacuated and there was no one left to save. Draco sat down and wiped his brow. "Man, that was tough." He lifted his hand and melted an ice block that was headed towards him. "Have the others captured the Weather Wizard yet?"

"Let me check?" Jinx opened up her communicator. "Hey, Robin! Did you get him? Okay. Really? Gotcha!" she flipped it close. "It seemed they got him a few hours ago."

"Hours ago? That's not right! Then why's the weather all messed up?" Draco asked.

"Pluto sorta blasted the Weather Wizard's toy with a lightning bolt and now the thing is out of control!" Jinx answered. Draco groaned.

"This can't get any worse!" soon it started to rain, "I stand corrected." He shivered, "I hate rain!"

"Come on," Jinx took his hand and then led him towards nearby shelter. "Let's just sit down and wait for the rain to stop."

"Knowing Pluto, it's gonna tale a long time," Draco grumbled. Jinx giggled and gave him a kiss.

* * *

Pluto was able to fix the Weather Wizard's weather generator and he decided to keep it, which would explain the piles of snow in front of Titans Tower.

"COWABUNGA!" Pluto howled as he rode a snowboard and jumped over a snow mound right before falling into the snow and having the upper half of his body trapped in the snow while his lower half flailed about above the surface. Draco shook his head.

To Be Continued…


	19. PT019: My Old Master

Part 19: My Old Master

In a dimly lit room, a shadowy figure is seen sitting on the floor. The dim lighting provided by the candles around him reveals him to be Ichijyo a.k.a Shadowcobra. He is shuffling a deck of Tarot cards and he slowly whispers, "Spirits of the Tarot, tell me my fate. Tell the future that awaits." Slowly, he places the deck onto the floor and draws out three cards and arranges them in the traditional three card spread, facedown. He slowly flips each card over, revealing blank faces. With a sigh, he slowly goes to pick the cards up to reshuffle them, but an unknown force stops him. His eyes narrows at the blank cards that slowly reveal themselves to him. All three cards now have pictures and his eyes widen. He slowly mutters, "So that is my fate, so be it." He picks up the cards and the light reveals one of them to be 'Death'.

* * *

(Later, that night, in an alley…)

Shadowcobra dove out of the window and rolled onto the ground until he stopped. He lay flat on his back, allowing his purple and silver armor to shatter away from his being. He panted and gasped, struggling to breathe in much needed air.

He looked around him. The surroundings were unfamiliar. How long was he in there, the Mirror Dimension? He remembered now. He was on patrol, alone. None of the Titans were awake at that time. When was it? Was it midnight when he left or later?

A monster was sighted, or more specifically, sensed. It was a whole herd of Gazelle types. Gigazelles, Negazelles, Megazelles and Omegazelles were targeting an orphanage in the city. Hundreds of homeless and orphaned children would have been devoured if he didn't do something. Against logic, he transformed and did battle against the monsters.

So, for hours, Shadowcobra destroyed and defeated the Gazelles one by one. Summoning weapon after weapon, monster after monster, activating one Final Vent after another.

He was going beyond his limits and he knew it.

The battle wasn't easy. The Gazelles were too fast for him to fight. But he had to, he must. If not for himself then for the children.

His sword slashed and stabbed them, his fists slammed against them and his whips lashed out at them.

But they still kept coming and coming, exhausting Shadowcobra to the brink of destruction.

However, the scariest part was that Shadowcobra actually enjoyed the fighting. He enjoyed pushing himself to the limits, even past them. Right now it wasn't about the children anymore. Right now, it was about the survival of the fittest.

Calling forth one last Final Vent, Shadowcobra obliterated all the Gazelles.

And now, Shadowcobra staggered, struggling to stand, taking slow and agonizing steps. He could've teleported, but all his energy was used up against the Gazelle army.

His monsters watched him from within the mirrors. To him they weren't just pets or tools. He actually cared for each one of them. Therefore, Stingdiver, the stingray, took it upon itself to take its master back to the Tower to rest.

* * *

(The Next Night…)

Ichijyo pulled the purple trench coat on and sighed. His current ensemble included a black t-shirt with matching jeans and black leather boots. His hair had been combed over to cover the red mark on his forehead and a simple glamour spell changed the color of his locks from blue to black. He took out a pair of glasses and placed them over his eyes, finishing the disguise. With a sigh, he used his shadow powers to blend into the darkness, disappearing with the swirling blackness of the darkness and night.

* * *

He arrived in front of the shop. It was situated just in Chinatown and focused mainly on herbs and magic potions as well as the odd mystical text here and there. It was also stocked with his favorite ginseng tea. He fixed his glasses and entered. The bell attached to the top of the doorframe rang as the door opened forward gently, alerting the proprietors of the small Chinese shop.

"_May we help you?_" an elderly man dressed in a deep green Chinese shirt welcomed him. He was bald with a long white beard and hunched down with a cane helping to support him. "_Aha! It is you again, I see,_" he spoke in Chinese.

"_Good evening, Mr. Chen. I have come to collect the items I had ordered over the phone a week ago. Are they prepared?_" Ichijyo asked with impeccable Chinese.

"_I have. Let me gather them for you._" The old man went to gather the items.

"_No need. I see that you are old and tired and you do not need to burden yourself with the task. Let me gather them myself._"

"_I thank you for your offer to help, young man, but I am still strong,_" Mr. Chen smiled.

"_Nonsense!_" Ichijyo said to him, "_You are frail and look ready to fall without that cane. Let me help you,_" He insisted.

"_You see my physical form and think of me as weak, but do you know how strong my mind is? Watch and learn._" The old shopkeeper's eyes flashed blue and the items in the back floated in the air and gathered themselves on the counter.

"_Psychic abilities or Chi?_" Ichijyo inquired.

"_Chi and a lot of training and tea. Would you join me for a cup of ginseng tea my most favored customer?_"

Ichijyo reminded, "_Technically, I am one of your only customers, Mr. Chen._"

Mr. Chen stroked his long beard, "_I know, very few young ones like yourself believe in or are interested in Oriental magic. They prefer those silly parlor tricks. But I ask again, join me?_"

Ichijyo complied, being polite and sat at a small circular table. The old man sat opposite him and poured the both of them some tea into two small cups.

"_How have you been, young one?_" the old man asked.

"_Same old, same old. However, life has gotten very interesting…_" Ichijyo smirked.

"_How interesting?_" the old shopkeeper inquired. "_And does it involve the herbs you ordered?_"

"_Very so,_" Ichijyo answered, sipping his tea. A small smile grazed Mr. Chen's aged features

"_Tell me more…_"

* * *

Shadowcobra was alone in his room. He smirked, he always liked being alone, especially now. He had returned from seeing Mr. Chen for some advice _The man sounds a lot like a fortune cookie._ Shadowcobra thought to himself.

He opened up his closet and pushed the clothes away to reveal a secret panel in the wall. He removed his glove and placed his palm onto a scanner. The panel then moved away, revealing a black metal briefcase. He took the briefcase and opened it, revealing a black bodysuit with a red x mark on the chest and a pair of matching. The suit also came with a tattered black cape and a metallic belt with a red x symbol on the buckle. There was also a white skull mask with a red x on it as well.

"It took Smart Brain's research and development team a whole year to rebuild the belt that Robin took and to get a better source of Xinothum to power it. Who would've known that it was in Siberia?" he mused. He took off his clothes and slipped into the black skintight bodysuit. He pulled on the gloves and boots and slung the cape over him. He buckled the belt and last but not least, he pulled on the white skull mask.

"Watch out world...Red-X is back in town," he spoke in a computerized version of Robin's voice

Shadowcobra was Red-X!

(It was just an idea to a twist for the storyline. Who would expect that Shadowcobra was Red-X to begin with? Okay, still doesn't explain how he got the suit. I'll sum it up the best I can)

But how did he become the infamous Red-X?

During the time when Terra betrayed the Titans and Slade's commando bots broke in, the vault where Robin's Red-X suit was kept was broken into and the suit was gone. Well, Shadowcobra encountered the Sladebot that took the suit and liberated said suit from the Sladebot. Why would Shadowcobra destroy the Sladebot? It pissed him off. Thinking that the suit would be more useful to him, he decided to keep it.

The mask had a memory chip inside that revealed that Robin had used the Red-X persona to be a master thief. Shadowcobra had always been dark, so he used the suit to become a master thief as well. Temporarily of course for the thrills. Though he preferred to use his own supernatural abilities at times, it seemed the suit could simulate some of his skills like teleportation. Plus, since he wasn't using his powers at all, no one with magical senses could get a lock on him and he could take a break from using his own magical energies and not tire out as quickly.

His first encounter with the Titans was a memorable one and he respected Robin too, at the time. He only worked with Chang to steal the guy's Xinothium supply after he beat the crud out of him. Shadowcobra hated to be controlled. Anyway, Shadowcobra lost the belt even though he did have a lot of Xinothium that he stole from Chang. He had sent the suit to Smart Brain to have it studied and have the belt rebuilt. It took over a year to rebuild the belt since he remembered the schematics at heart and sent it to the R and D team to have it produced. He had only recently retrieved it during his excursion while moving all his belongings from his apartment in Tokyo to the Tower in Jump City.

The suit had been greatly modified since the last time he had worn it. For instance, the red x mark now covered the whole chest. There were also additional shoulder pads, elbow pads and knee pads added as well for protection and they held the same x emblem too. The gloves were now black, not grey, but still kept the red x marks on the palms and backs.

Boy would the Titans be surprised when they found out. Of course, he wasn't gonna tell them anytime soon.

He teleported out of his room and reappeared somewhere in Jump City. He loved being in the costume since he did not need to use any of his powers as he did leaps and bounds all over the city since the suit had been built to enhance the wearer's physical abilities. He witnessed a purse snatching and smirked. Producing an X-Blade, he leapt into action, slashing the purse snatcher's belt in half, causing him to drop his pants. The crook tripped and Red-X picked up the purse and leapt into the air, dropping the purse into the woman's hands before disappearing into the darkness.

* * *

Shadowcobra returned late to the Tower. He needed to think. He had went out as Red-X to clear his head but it still wasn't enough. He stripped off the suit and put back his usual black uniform on.

It was in the middle of the night and the Titans were all asleep. He came up here to the roof every night so that he could do some thinking peacefully. Reaching into his pocket, he fished out his snake deck and stared at the golden symbol of the cobra.

Tonight was his birthday and he frowned sadly. He has never told anyone of this, ever, in his life.

It had been exactly three years since he became a Zodiac Knight and tonight was the anniversary.

It was also the anniversary of Misha's death.

"Misha…" he whispered as he reached into the folds of his cloak and took out a picture of a beautiful girl with long brown hair and pale skin.

He gazed at the picture sadly and sighed.

"Forgive me Misha," he said. "For I have fallen for another." A ringing in his ears alerted him of a presence behind him. He didn't turn, knowing from whom this presence came from.

"It has been awhile, Black Snake," the owner of the voice held a muscular build similar to Slade's. He had dark skin and was completely bald with black marking on his head. He also had a moustache and goatee that reminded anyone of Mr. T. He was dressed in a sleeveless black leather coat with long coat tails and black pants. On his forearms were red battle gauntlets and on his legs were boots strapped by tight buckles. Worn diagonally over his chest from his left shoulder to his right hip was a brown leather sash with a kanji character connecting it together.

"Yoshido…" Shadowcobra hissed.

Yes, Yoshido, The God of Warriors himself.

Shadowcobra turned sharply and glared at the god with great loathing. "What do you want?" he asked with pure disgust in his voice.

"Is that the way to speak to your Master?" Yoshido sneered.

"Former Master," Shadowcobra corrected. "As I recall, I resigned myself from the Black Knights Guild."

"Yet you still use the armor I gave you," Yoshido reminded. Shadowcobra blanched. "What's the matter? Can't take the truth?" Shadowcobra reached into the folds of his cloak and took out his deck. "Aren't you going to hear what I have to say?" asked Yoshido.

"I have nothing to say to you. ZODIAC FORCE! SNAKE!" the armor encased him, transforming him into a Zodiac Knight. He took out his battle staff and swung it out at Yoshido. Yoshido remained stationary and grabbed the head of the staff before it made contact. Shadowcobra tried to pull his staff away, but Yoshido held firm.

"Why is the demon girl still alive?" Yoshido asked as he pulled Shadowcobra towards him and planted a vicious punch into his midsection. Shadowcobra gasped.

"She has a name. It's Raven," Shadowcobra said and took a swing at Yoshido's face. The god caught the fist in his hand.

"Whose father happens to be my greatest enemy!" Yoshido crushed Shadowcobra's hand in his and twisted, causing the snake Knight to grit his teeth. He refused to scream for this god. He didn't want to give him the satisfaction. Yoshido then twisted Shadowcobra's hand and pinned it to his back, holding him firmly.

"In order for Trigon to come to this dimension, the girl must summon him. In order for that to happen, she must live! Killing her is the only way to stop him!" Yoshido shouted, twisting Shadowcobra's arm further. There was a snap, and Shadowcobra hissed in pain. Yoshido pushed the snake Knight back to the ground. Shadowcobra stood back up, but with a useless right arm. Soon it began to rain, thunder boomed and lightning streaked through the dark sky.

"The girl is an abomination and she must be dealt with!" Yoshido shouted.

"It is not a fault of hers that she was born to carry out this prophecy. She had no choice!" Shadowcobra hissed as his regenerative powers began knitting the bones back together. "I will not hurt her, and she isn't the only abomination, Yoshido…" Shadowcobra snapped.

"I forgot," Yoshido rushed forward and delivered a powerful roundhouse kick to Shadowcobra's head. He then followed up with a violent uppercut that shattered the helmet and sent the snake Knight flying and then come crashing down to the ground. Shadowcobra coughed out some blood and struggled to stand. His eyes glared hatefully at Yoshido and began glowing bright red. His blue locks became damp and matted his forehead. However, this did not conceal the red glow on his forehead, which came from the mark on his forehead.

"The Mark of Sin," Yoshido mused, "How I forgotten the seal that constricts your powers my old servant."

"I am no one's SERVANT!" Shadowcobra yelled and charged at Yoshido. He powered up his hands, covering them in black energy.

"Pitiful," was all Yoshido said as he thrust his arm out and grabbed Shadowcobra by his head. Shadowcobra struggled, kicking and screaming, but the god's strength was too much. "Your mind has been poisoned. Your heart had been weakened and clouded by your…love for her. But would she love you once you've shown your true colors?" Yoshido's frown turned into a sinister smirk.

"No…" Shadowcobra begged fearfully.

"Let us see how your friends will react to your…true self," Yoshido said as his hand began glowing black and blue, covering Shadowcobra's head before dropping him. The mark on Shadowcobra's head began to pulsate and he yelled in agony, clutching his head with both hands.

"Farewell," Yoshido said before disappearing.

Shadowcobra let out a feral cry that shook the Tower. Thunder crashed and lightning flashed as he experienced the worst torture imaginable.

"Don't lose control…" he told himself, hissing with pain, "Control the darkness…Keep it at bay…Do not let it consume you…"

His mark glowed brighter and it looked like an eye was appearing to open within it. Shadowcobra hissed again and the glow subsided. The third eye also disappeared. His eyes narrowed. Yoshido had come to deliver to him a message.

Destroy the Gem of Trigon, or die.

Tears fell from his eyes soon after.

* * *

Raven finally shot out of bed and gasped. Her only thoughts were of a certain Zodiac Knight.

"Ichijyo…" she whispered fearfully.

To Be Continued…

ZK Chromedragozoid: Kind of angsty but a welcomed change of pace nonetheless. A little bit more of Shadow's past is revealed and his identity as Red-X is also quite a mystery. There is a possibility that Shadowcobra may betray the Titans one day but that is yet to be seen.

BTW, I don't own the rights to Yoshido. He comes from one very talented writer, Dr Evans.


	20. PT020: A Call From Smart Brain

Part 20: A Call from Smart Brain

Shadow was up early doing some gardening to repair his rose bush. He gave the dog Knight a piece of his mind after finding out that he had picked his valuable red roses. With a sigh, he took in a deep breath as he began trimming the bushes. He placed the scissors down and was about to reach for his watering can when he heard something ringing.

It was his cell-phone.

He shook his head and sighed again. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a cell-phone with an SB emblem on it. He flipped it open and answered, "Hello?"

Shadow listened and replied for several minutes before hanging up. He flipped the phone close and stared at it. He muttered the words, "This is bad."

* * *

Both Draco and Pluto were playing a game of Street Fighter on the Gamestation. The red dragon Knight was playing as Ken and the blue dog Knight was playing as Cammy. 

"The only reason you're playing as Cammy is because you like to see her legs, tits and ass in that leotard thing!" Draco jeered, trying to psyche Pluto out. Actually, he was behaving like this because of Yaminekoryu. Normally, Draco would not speak like that.

"Well, what about you? Why is it always Ken? You got a thing for blonds or something?" Pluto shot back.

"Oh, it's go time!" Both players were mashing buttons rapidly.

"Kick his butt, Baby!" Jinx cheered for Draco.

"Not if my puppy-boy does it first!" Blackfire cheered as well.

Raven was not pleased. She was trying to read a book but the noise from the video game was getting to her. _They're just as bad as Cyborg and Beast Boy. Maybe even worse, if that's even possible._ Her eyebrow twitched and a red cross vain was about to pop out of her head.

"Take this!" Draco pressed a sequence in rapid succession and then the game shouted out, "PLAYER ONE WINS!"

Pluto's jaw and controller dropped to the floor as Draco laughed at his fellow Knights' defeat. At the same time, Shadow phased through the ceiling and approached he two sitting at the couch.

"Draco, Pluto, I need to talk with you," he added, "In private."

"Can it wait, Shadow?" Draco said, smiling, as he danced around, "I'm doing my victory dance!"

"And I'm sulking!" Pluto groaned.

"Now!" he insisted, sternly, shocking the two.

"What is this about?" Raven asked, curiosity getting the better of her.

"I'm sorry Raven, but this involves the three of us and only us," he told his girlfriend. He turned his attention to the blue and red Knights, "Follow me."

Draco and Pluto looked at each other and shrugged before following the Shadow Knight out of the living room.

"What was that all about?" Blackfire asked.

"I don't know," Jinx tapped her chin, "But I'm gonna find out."

"Me too," Raven said, "I'm sick of Shadow always keeping secrets from me."

The three girls looked at each other and nodded.

* * *

Shadow, Pluto and Draco were all standing in the hallway. Shadow looked left and right to make sure no one was listening in before speaking with his two friends. 

"Okay, Shadow," Draco began, "What gives?"

"Is this important or something?" Pluto added.

"It is," Shadow narrowed his eyes, "Hasuma, Takada, it's Smart Brain."

Both Draco and Pluto's eyes widened. One reason was that Shadow had addressed them by their last names. The other reason was when Shadow mentioned 'Smart Brain'.

"What happened to the company?" Draco demanded.

"Settle down, Leo," Shadow told him, "It's not the company, but a branch of the company is in danger."

"Which one?" Pluto asked.

"Home," Shadow answered, "In Tokyo." He turned his attention to the air vent, "You can come out now," Shadow said.

The grill dropped to the floor with a clang and Jinx dropped out of it, followed by Blackfire and Raven, who floated down.

"How did you know?" Jinx asked.

"I'm not stupid, Jinx, I sensed you," he answered coldly. "And Raven, I'm disappointed in you," he frowned. Raven pulled up her hood in shame.

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "But I was worried about you so Jinx suggested that we…"

"Should eavesdrop?" he finished her sentence. He then gave her a tender smile, "I understand that you were worried so I'm not angry anymore. I just wish you wouldn't spy on me."

"For the record," Blackfire pointed at Jinx, "It was Pinky's idea."

"Hey!" Jinx fumed.

"Settle down, girls," Draco attempted to calm down the situation.

"Settle down?" Pluto scoffed, "I wanted to catch a cat fight!" he then was silenced as he caught the frowns and glares from the three girls. "Sorry!"

"Open mouth, insert foot," Draco rolled his eyes.

"So…" Blackfire started, "What's Smart Brain?"

Jinx explained, "Smart Brain Corporation is a multi million dollar company that is based in London, England and has branches all over the world. It mainly produces sophisticated technology, hardware and software." Everyone stared at her. She grinned sheepishly and admitted, "I read the business section on the newspaper sometimes."

"I'm impressed," Draco smiled.

"I'm not just a pretty face, you know," she grinned.

"Okay, we know what Smart Brain is but why is it so important?" Raven asked.

"Because it's my family's company," Shadow answered.

There was immense silence. It was so silent you could hear a pin drop from a yard away.

"WHAT?" Jinx exclaimed.

"Hold on," Raven remembered, "Wayne Enterprises recently struck a deal with Smart Brain Corp. The President and owner of Smart Brain Corp is a Mr. Ichiro Damien Amakusa."

"That would be my father," Shadow answered, "I was informed that there have been a few problems with the Tokyo branch and I have to go and check up on things."

"Like what?" Jinx asked, "And what does it have to do with Pluto and Draco?"

Shadow continued, "Pluto gets most of his software and hardware from Smart Brain for his inventions and Draco's mother is an old friend of my parents."

The girls, except Blackfire, understood what he had meant.

"So, you have to go back to Japan?" Jinx asked.

"I guess. We owe Smart Brain for a lot of stuff. The material Okasan uses for our uniforms was developed by Smart Brain," Draco answered.

"And I can't wait to see Murata-sensei again," Pluto grinned.

"Murata-sensei?" Blackfire asked.

"Pluto's mentor. The one that taught him everything he knows regarding technology," Shadow groaned, "I forgot about her."

"Is she really that bad?" Raven asked.

"Trust me. Pluto is not as bad as she is as far as I am concerned. I wonder what possessed my father to hire her in the first place," Shadow replied.

Raven decided not to ask more.

"Can we come too?" Jinx asked.

Draco turned to look at Shadow, mentally asking for permission. Shadow then answered, "I guess it wouldn't hurt. But I think Robin should be informed as well."

"Informed of what?" Starfire asked, surprising the other 6 Titans.

"Starfire!" Shadow exclaimed before calming down. "Starfire," he repeated softly, "How much did you hear?"

She replied, "I only heard the mention of a 'Brain that is Smart'." She furrowed her eyebrows in curiosity, "But are not brains always smart?"

"Looks like we have to tell the others," Raven said, "Now."

"This is too soon," Shadow told her, "But I believe you're right, luv."

* * *

All 11 Titans were in the living room. Shadowcobra took his place in front of them to give them the heads up. 

"Titans…friends, I have something important to announce," he continued, "I recently received a call from the Smart Brain Corporation in Japan requesting mine, Draco and Pluto's presence and assistance immediately." He added, "There has been a security breach in the company and we are needed to investigate." He finished, "Therefore, I request permission to take Draco, Pluto, Jinx, Raven and Blackfire on this mission."

"Is this important?" Robin folded his arms and locked eyes with the snake knight skeptically.

"Very so, Robin," Shadow nodded, "This regards my family's financial well being and reputation and I am needed since I will have to act as a representative of my father since he is unable to do so with his busy schedule."

"OK, but tell me why you want Jinx, Raven and Blackfire to go?" Robin asked, still suspicious of Shadow's intentions.

Shadow smiled at the mentioned girls and answered, "I think they deserve a vacation and to see a bit of the world outside of Jump City. Besides, I've already booked a flight for them so there's no reason for them not to come. But since we'll be going undercover, let's call it a working vacation." He added, "But mostly a vacation when business is done."

Robin seemed to be contemplating this, "Well…even with you guys gone, there'll still be enough Titans to help out with the crime fighting. But what if there's a monster attack?"

"Mirror portals, remember?" Draco reminded, "Besides, you can call either Moon or Venus to help out just in case you guys need back up. The girls are with Titans East, remember from the last time they called?"

Robin nodded and then answered, smiling, "If this is important to you guys, I can't really stop you." He added, "Take care of yourselves and have fun, kay?"

Pluto gave Robin a thumb's up, Draco stuck out his fingers in a victory sign and Shadowcobra rolled his eyes.

Shadow told the Titans coming with him, "A VIP Smart Brain Corp jet will arrive tonight at midnight to pick us up. So we should pack up immediately."

"You know," Blackfire said as she heard Shadow mention the jet, "I could just fly there and back in less than an hour."

"But we'll be flying in style, Black," Pluto explained to her, "Just enjoy the ride."

Blackfire nodded and smiled at her boyfriend, "I will, Pluto."

"First class," a shadow of a smile appeared on Raven's face. "Quiet and peaceful."

"Plus good food," Draco licked his lips, "First class lobster."

"I can see it now!" Jinx giggled.

"Oh and before I forget, my father has also employed the help of Kim Possible."

* * *

Later in the day, the 6 Titans spent most of their time packing. Shadow was in his room and his hands began running over several small items like a book and other things. He fed his pets and then picked up a framed photograph on his bedside table and smiled. It was the photograph taken at the park with the Titans and Titans East. 

This was really the first time he felt having real friends in his life and there was no way he was messing this up. Raven was slowly filling up a gap in his heart…and Starfire, he cared for the alien like his own sister, probably more... he shook his head. Now was not the time to think of such things. It was dangerous. His dark side had drawn him to Raven because of her personality and his light side was drawn to Starfire for the same reason as well. Added, they were both beautiful. Raven had this inner darkness and Starfire had this inner light. They were as different as Yin and Yang.

((Maybe that's why you love them)) Akuma chuckled within Shadow's mind.

((Akuma…)) Shadow hissed.

((He is correct, Ichijyo-sama. You do seem to have some feeling for the two of them)) Amakusa said to him.

((I love Raven)) he told both of them ((And Starfire's like a sister to me!))

((Let us remind you that you can't lie to us!)) Akuma countered ((We ARE you!))

Shadow sighed. They were right. There was no way to keep a secret from his Yin and Yang since they were him in a sense. He formed a shadow portal under his feet and phased through the floor.

He soon found himself in the garage located in the lower levels of the Tower. He took a look at the Z-Riders but focused his attention on his Z-Shadow Chaser and smiled. _Pluto really does good work. Fortunately, the parts supplied are top notch and have a very low chance of failure on the field. _He ran his hand over the cold black steel of the bike. It has been designed with sleek model and holding his emblem. The blades in the front were razor sharp and curved like cobra fangs.

"The bikes will be loaded on the jet as well, Shadow," Pluto said as he walked into the dark garage.

"Good," Shadow replied, "We may need them."

"Why do you say that?" Pluto asked.

"Call it a hunch, my friend." Shadow then asked, "It's been awhile, hasn't it?"

"What?"

"When we began as Zodiac Knights, we never expected to become operatives of Smart Brain, did we?"

Pluto shrugged, "I guess. We are part of their secret division."

"Exactly."

* * *

"So, you were an operative?" Jinx asked her boyfriend. She was sitting on Draco's bed. 

"Yep, part of Smart Brain's secret division," Draco answered as he packed up his suitcase.

"Secret division for what?" Jinx asked curiously.

Draco went to her and stroked her cheek. She purred sweetly. He said to her, "Now, if I told you, it wouldn't be a secret now, would it?" he tickled her chin and loved the sound of her giggles.

"No, I guess it wouldn't," Jinx smiled. "All I know is that Smart Brain is just a technologies company."

"It is," Draco continued to pack, "But some of the best tech is still left under lock and key in the top secret areas." He then pulled out his drawer, "Found it!" he reached in and pulled out a red and silver digital watch before strapping it to his right wrist.

Jinx looked over the watch and raised an eyebrow, "It's just a watch. What's the big deal?"

Draco grinned, "All operatives have this watch. It's our ticket into the secret lower levels of the company. You'll see," He winked. The young red haired Dragon Knight then smiled, reminiscing, "I can't wait to become a Masked Rider again."

"Masked Rider?" Jinx quirked an eyebrow.

Draco stood up straight and saluted, "Operative Ryuki Hasuma of the Masked Riders. Smart Brain's elite top secret task force."

Jinx's jaw dropped, "You're an ELITE operative?"

"Hard to believe, right? Me too," Draco looked through his stuff for things to pack.

"So, why call yourselves Masked Riders?" Jinx asked.

"Well, since the existence of the Zodiac Knights and the Mirror Dimension has to be kept secret, we decided for a codename for our team. I suggested the name Masked Riders and we became known as them for riding motorcycles and wearing helmets that hid our faces and our identities."

Jinx traced circles on the bed she was sitting on, "So…you have a special uniform?"

"It's Smart Brain special issue and back home. You'll see it soon," he smiled.

Jinx smirked, "Can't wait." She got up pulled him into a kiss and he melted into it.

* * *

Shadow stood on the roof alone, allowing the soft summer breeze to blow through his hair and cloak. "Can't believe we'll be going back home. How long has it been? I've lost count," he sighed. 

"So…looking forward to going back home?" Raven asked as she walked up to him.

"Not really, but this is important," he replied.

"Did something happen back in Japan?" she asked.

"Lots of things happen. Be more specific Raven," he retorted.

Raven grumbled and narrowed her eyes, "Tell me!" she demanded.

Shadow sighed and turned around, "We left Smart Brain about 4 months ago after that one…incident."

"What incident? What happened?"

"It's top secret."

Raven glared.

"I'm sorry Raven," Shadow apologized, "I can't tell you without Draco's permission."

"This has something to do with him, doesn't it? The reason he came here, right?" Raven prodded.

Shadow shook his head, "I am not at liberty to say, Raven."

Raven sighed, "Fine…so, why did Smart Brain call you?"

"I can't tell you yet. You'll find out when we get there. I'm sorry."

Raven crossed her arms, "You're being very secretive."

"It comes with the territory, Raven. I could never trust anyone with Smart Brain's secrets, even when I was an operative."

"You were an operative?"

"I volunteered to become the leader of Smart Brain's special task force, the Masked Riders."

Raven quirked an eyebrow. Shadow chuckled.

"Leo suggested the name," he explained.

"Thought as much. Did you have suggestions?" she asked, interested.

"I wanted to call ourselves the 'Shadow Society'. Unfortunately, Draco and Pluto were heavily against it. You should've heard what Pluto suggested."

* * *

"The Dog Squad?" Blackfire narrowed her eyes skeptically, "You wanted to call yourselves the 'Dog Squad'?" 

"Yeah. Don't know why Draco and Shadow hated it. It wasn't a bad name, right?" Pluto retorted, packing up his clothes.

Blackfire didn't want to hurt her boyfriend's feelings, but she had to be frank, "Yoshi…the name…it stinks."

"I thought as much," Pluto sighed.

"Well," Blackfire hugged him from behind and rested her chin on his shoulder, "I just want to see your old Masked Rider uniform."

"You'll see it," he grinned, "You'll see it." He spun around and dipped her, kissing her passionately.

* * *

Time flew by quickly throughout the day. The Titans had several missions. They stopped several bank robberies and saved some people from a burning apartment building. No super villains, but a busy day nonetheless. 

Soon, it was midnight. Their luggage was ready and being carried by the T-Car and Blue Hound. A special carrier trailer Pluto and Cyborg built held the Z-Riders inside and was being pulled by the T-Car.

The Titans arrived at the airport and the luggage and carrier trailer were all loaded into the cargo bay of the giant black and silver jet with the Smart Brain emblem painted on the side. All the Titans were in civilian disguises.

"I will miss you sister," Starfire hugged Blackfire. The older Tamaranian princess rolled her eyes but returned the hug anyway.

"Don't be all too mushy, Star. You won't even know I was gone," she joked, smiling. Starfire went to hug her 'brother' and best girl friend.

"I shall miss you my brother," Starfire hugged Shadow. Shadow smiled and returned the hug. Starfire then went to hug Raven who returned it too.

"Don't worry, Kori," Shadow told her.

"We'll be back before you know it," Raven assured her.

"I…I…" Starfire sniffled before throwing her arms around her sister, adopted brother, and friend. "I WILL SURELY MISS YOU ALL!" She was starting to cut off their air supply before she let go and apologized.

Pluto was saying goodbye to his two best friends, Cyborg and Beast Boy.

"Remember to get us some souvenirs, dude," Beast Boy reminded.

"Yeah, I want an autographed Puffy AmiYumi CD!" Cyborg told him, getting odd stares, "It's for Sarah, okay?"

"Riiiiiight," Pluto spoke like Dr. Evil. "Okay, I'll try to get you a Puffy AmiYumi CD that has been autographed, Cy." He smiled, "I think a couple of friends of mine can arrange something."

"Well," Draco yawned, "Let's get going."

"Yes, let's," Jinx beamed.

To Be Continued…


	21. PT021: Romancing For Venus

Part 21: Romancing for Venus

"Speedy!" Venus yelled, "For the last time I am, and repeat, not interested in going on a date with you! And that goes for you too Aqualad!" she stomped back to her and Moon's room.

"This is all your fault!" Both Speedy and Aqualad yelled at each other before brawling.

* * *

Venus stepped into the room she shared with Moon. It had been the two female Knights' suggestion to conserve space and that the two girls were more used to sharing a room than staying in separate ones. She sighed as she sat at her desk and opened up a photo album. On the cover, written in gold, were the words 'Happy Memories'. She smiled, reminiscing, as she looked at the photographs. There was Pluto, Shadow, Moon, Draco and herself in their civilian forms. There was also another boy in the pictures with them that had short black hair and very melancholy looking eyes dressed in a dark pink shirt and yellow pants. She began to tear up, "Tazuka-kun…"

Moon, her roommate and best friend, walked into the room carrying two bouquets of red roses. Outside, the sounds of two Spanish speaking speedsters brawling in the hallways could be heard as they spat rapid fire Spanish at one another. Venus saw her, "Hey, Moon."

"Hey to you too, V," Moon then noticed the look on Venus' face. Even with that mask on, it still couldn't hide the tears. She saw the album and shook her head, frowning, "You still miss him, don't you?" Venus nodded. Moon sighed, "I thought that you've moved on. It's only been 4 months since he died and knowing him, I doubt he wanted to see you upset."

"I know," Venus wiped the tear out of the corner of her eye. "But I can't help it. Naming myself after the Roman Goddess of Love, I kind of have to fit the part." She sniffled.

"You don't have to, you know," Moon approached her friend and placed the bouquets on the table and then with super speed pulled up a chair from her desk and sat down on it next to Venus. Venus noticed the bouquets.

"Mas Y Menos again, huh?"

"What can I say?" Moon flipped her green hair back, "I'm pretty."

"And that you're a speedster like them." Venus added. "Every time those 2 get into any kind of trouble, you can keep up with them and more."

"I really do enjoy babysitting them and they like me."

"It's called a crush, Moon."

"Anyway, I heard that Speedy tried to ask you out again. Is that true?" Moon asked.

Megami answered, "Only after I turned down Aqualad for a date with him." They heard the sound of arguing outside.

"SISSY BOY!" Speedy shouted.

"FISH KILLER!" Aqualad shouted back.

Mas Y Menos were screaming at each other in Spanish.

"CAN'T YOU GUYS JUST SHUT UP? I CAN'T WORK LIKE THIS!" Bumblebee yelled. There was a crash. "THAT'S IT! I'M TAKING OUT THE STINGERS!"

ZAAAAPPPPPPPP!

Moon and Venus sighed.

"Do you still think it was a good idea to join Titans East?" Moon asked her best friend.

"I'm starting to wonder that too, Megami," Venus shook her head. She closed the album and sighed sadly. "When will I ever find a guy right for me? A guy who'd listen and not just talk and talk and talk about how great he is." She slammed her forehead on the table with a thump.

"Well, you named yourself after the Goddess of Love, maybe you should go out looking," Moon suggested.

The door slid open and Bumblebee went in, looking slightly irritated. The large popping vein in her forehead was a heavy indication of that. She soon calmed down. "Hey girls."

"Hey Bee," the two female Knights greeted.

Bumblebee then asked, "Say, why don't we all go out on the town? Just us girls? What do ya say?"

Moon and Venus looked at each other and shrugged.

"Better than staying here doing nothing, Bee. Count me in," Moon stood up and turned to Venus. "How about you?"

"Why not?" Venus placed the album into the drawer and locked it after closing it. "Got nothing better to do."

Bumblebee clapped, "Alright! Girl's Night Out it is!" she smiled. Both Moon and Venus beamed.

* * *

Steel City.

The girls were now clad in civilian clothes (I'll let you decide what they're wearing) It was a warm summer night and a lot of hang outs were open for business. They were in Steel City and something caught Megami's attention.

"How's about we drop by the arcade?" Megami suggested, pointing at the place.

Eri and Bee shook their heads, "Pass."

"Why not?" Megami pouted.

"Megami," Eri began, "The last time we went there, you spent 6 hours on the DDR machine and we had to drag you out kicking and screaming."

"We do not want a repeat of that incident, girlfriend," Bee added.

Megami groaned, "Fine."

Bee tapped her chin, "Well, I did hear about this nightclub downtown and it's Ladies Night tonight so we can get in free." She grinned, "And Eri here might find the guy of her dreams."

Eri narrowed her eyes, "Was this an elaborate plan to fix me up with someone?" She glared at her two friends and teammates.

Bee and Megami rolled their eyes innocently, "Maybe…"

Eri sighed. "Fine." She then threatened, "But be warned that if this gets all messed up, I'm taking it out on your hides."

"Okay, okay," Megami raised her hands. "Sheesh," she rolled her eyes, "What a drama queen."

"I agree, girl," Bee nodded.

* * *

The girls arrived at the nightclub after several minutes of walking. After flashing their ID cards, the bouncer allowed them in.

In the club, or more specifically, in the middle of the dance floor, were girls all dancing to the loud and funky beat. Megami smiled and began shaking her body while Bee and Venus just stared, frightened.

"Oh no…" Bee groaned, realizing her fault.

"You just had to bring her here, didn't you?" Eri told Bee. "You know that music has this affect on her."

"I do now…"

"LET'S DANCE, PARTY AND HAVE FUN! WOOHOO!" Megami whooped before pulling her friends with her and with super speed got them on the dance floor.

"Are you crazy!" Eri whispered into Megami's ear. "You can't use your powers so publicly like that!"

"Why not?" Megami twirled and gyrated her hips, dancing. "We do it all the time."

"In costume!" Bee reminded. "Luckily no one saw us coz you were just a blur when you run. Try to be more careful."

"Okay, okay." Megami rolled her eyes, "Lighten up, will you?"

"And this is that Shadow guy's OLDER sister?" Bee whispered into Eri's ear.

"Hard to believe but yes," Eri replied. "I guess he got all the maturity genes in him."

Meanwhile, at the bar, were two blond boys. These were Grant and Joey Wilson. Grant had downed a glass of soda and watched as the girls danced.

"I can't believe we had to pay a cover charge!" Grant complained. "Why don't the girls have to pay?"

((I think it was due to the fact that it was Ladies' Night tonight, Grant.)) Joey, his younger and telepathic mute brother reminded. ((Just be grateful that the bouncer even let us in after that crack you made involving his mother, consummation and an ape.))

Grant waved his hand dismissingly and rolled his eyes, "Yeah…yeah…" he then noticed the Titan East girls. "Hey, Joey! Check it out! Hot booty!"

((Grant…)) Joey warned.

"That green haired girl is kinda cute and so is that black chick with buns in her hair. Kinda looks familiar though. Where have I seen them before?" Grant scratched his head.

Joey mentally slapped himself in the forehead. His brother was behaving like an over chauvinistic pig. He had seen Grant's attempt at flirting and they did work, 1 or 2 out of ten times at least. He took a sip out of a raspberry Coke before he spat it out.

Before him was a vision of true beauty.

Before him was an angel.

No, angel did not do wonders to compare to her beauty.

She was a goddess.

Joey was staring right at Eri who was dancing with her friends and enjoying herself as well. Grant noticed this and snickered. ((What?))

"Well, well," Grant grinned, "It seems that you have your eyes set on the Japanese girl with the short dark hair."

((I do not!)) Joey blushed.

"I know this stuff, little bro, trust me." He coaxed, "Come on. Ask her to dance." Joey raised an eyebrow. "What?"

((Grant…how am I supposed to do that when I can't even talk?))

"Okay…and talking to her telepathically may just freak her out."

((No, ya think?)) Joey answered sarcastically.

"Okay then," Grant stood up and cracked his neck and knuckles.

((What are you doing?)) Joey asked but was dreading the answer as if he knew.

"I'm gonna ask her myself after I ask that cute green haired girl to dance."

((GRANT!)) Joey screamed mentally and blushed. ((Don't even try it…)) he growled.

"Aw, come on, little brother. I'm doing you a favor here," Grant smiled. "Sides, as your big brother, it's my job to look out for you."

((SURE…)) Joey rolled his eyes. _You can't even look out for yourself every time you tick Kat off. _

"Just watch the master," Grant grinned confidently and walked towards the girls, who had sat down in a nearby booth to rest and get drinks.

"That was GREAT!" Megami giggled.

"I have to agree with you on that girl!" Bee smiled.

Eri shrugged, "I guess it was okay…" Megami and Bee groaned.

"Girl," Bee began, "We need to get you out of your funk."

"I just don't feel like, I don't know, having fun or something," Eri frowned.

Megami eyes sparkled, "Ooh! Ooh!" she shook Bee's arm.

"What?" Bee asked.

"There's this really cute guy and he's coming this way!" Megami bounced in her seat.

"Megami!" Bee scolded, "Control yourself!"

"It's no use," Eri told her. "When she's boy crazy like this there's little anyone can do."

Grant approached Megami and smiled his most charming smile. He began to ask, "Would you like to da-" but he was unable to finish as Megami grabbed his arm and dragged him onto the dance floor.

"YES!" she squealed, nodding rapidly.

"Oh boy…" Bee groaned.

"Told you," Eri said a matter-of-factly. She then noticed Joey staring at her and then he hid his face from behind a magazine. She nudged Bee with an elbow. "Bee? Do you see that guy?"

"What guy?" Bee asked.

"That guy at the bar with the curly blond hair and the magazine."

"That guy?" Bee pointed. Eri nodded. "What about him?"

"I think he was looking at me."

"So?"

"I'm gonna go talk to him." Eri stood up and made her way towards the bar. Bee smiled.

"Looks like the girl just got herself out of her own funk!"

Joey was pretending to read the magazine. _Okay, I'm alone at a bar in a night club and Grant's off dancing with some girl._ He sighed._ I'm never gonna find anyone. Who'd want a mute boyfriend anyway?_ He took another sip of his drink.

"Hey," Eri said as she sat down on the stool next to his. Joey did a spit take and then stared at Eri with wide eyes. "I saw you looking at me."

Joey didn't know what to sign right now as his fingers were frozen. Plus, he couldn't reveal his telepathic abilities by speaking into her mind. He took a deep gulp and raised his hands, attempting to sign "Hi." Eri saw this and gasped, realizing.

"So, you're mute huh?" Eri asked. Joey nodded. Eri smiled, "Don't worry. I can understand sign language." This relaxed Joey, but only by a bit. "What's your name?"

Joey used his hands and did the sign for his name.

"Joey, huh?" Megami smiled, "That's a nice name." Joey felt his cheeks burning and his hands were moving about, signing gibberish. "Okay! Okay! Calm down! Take it easy, kay?" Joey took a deep breath and relaxed. "Better?" she asked. He nodded. "Good." She introduced herself. "My name is Erika Takada, but my friends call me Eri."

_Takada? Where have I heard that name before?_ Joey thought. He mentally shrugged, thinking it wasn't important.

Eri then asked, "So, are you here with someone or are you alone?"

Joey looked from the corner of his eyes to see Grant dancing with Megami. He then signed, _Alone._

Eri told him, "Well I'm with my friends." She then asked, "Wanna dance?" Joey's eyes widened and then he tensed up. Eri realized, "You can't dance, can you?" he nodded. She took his hand and his face flushed red. "Come on! It's easy! I'll show you!" she didn't even wait for him to protest before taking him into the crowd of dancing teens. Grant saw this and grinned.

Bee soon joined into the crowd, dancing with a large African American male that just asked her to dance.

* * *

Later, back at Titans East Tower, the girls entered the living room, completely spent but satisfied. Moon ran quickly into her room, giggling, after saying goodbye to her friends. Bumblebee said goodnight as well and turned in for the night. Venus waved and then reached into her pocket, pulling out a paper napkin with a phone number on it. She smiled.

* * *

Meanwhile, Joey was in his room and looking at the paper napkin with a phone number on it too. He sighed and kept it securely under his bed.

This had been a good night but will this turn into a case of star crossed lovers?

To Be Continued…

I decided to write a fic about Moon and Venus since they didn't get much screen time since the whole Super Supermodels arc. Anyway, Looks like a hero and villain are falling for each other. Ok, I know that in the comics that Joey/Jericho was good but this is my fic and I can do whatever I want with it.

So, the Titans East thing will be like a side story if sorts. If you want to suggest anything, don't be too scared to put it up in your reviews or e-mail me. Sayonara…


	22. PT022: Double Trouble

Part 22: Double-Trouble

A boy about 15 or 16 years of age was running through the forest. He had bruises and several scratches on his face and he possibly had several other injuries hidden under his clothes, which were not exactly what a conventional person would wear.

He was clad in an all black jumpsuit with a silver belt around his waist. His shoulder pads were both of different colors. The one on his left shoulder was red and the one on his right was purple. He also wore a red glove and a matching boot on his left arm and leg and a purple glove and boot on his right arm and leg. Around each wrist was a golden bracelet. His hair was blue and slightly unruly. He also wore a mask with lenses fitted over the eye holes. The left lens was red and the right one was purple. He began panting and stopped at a nearby tree to catch his breath.

"Why in the name of the Pit are they still chasing me?" he swore. He heard the sound of running behind him and soon found himself running again. "I have to get away! I don't want to go back to that life again." He continued to run until he reached the end of the line. He was standing over the edge of a ledge and looked down to see a small river and some sharp jagged rocks. There was also a waterfall when he looked up. He turned around. The soldiers were getting closer. "Slag!" he swore.

"Halt!" one of the soldiers shouted.

"Never!" he was about to reach into his belt when a laser beam shot right through his shoulder. He was shocked and staggered back and slipped off the edge. "AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!" he screamed and fell straight into the jagged rocks below. The soldiers stopped their pursuit and looked down at the where the boy had fell to his death.

"Target has been terminated. Return to base," the leader ordered his men and as these shadowy figures in black turned, on their backs was a purple symbol of an evil grinning face with sharp fangs and a pair of horns. For some reason, it could send chills up the back of anyone looking at it as it shares the horrifying resemblance of the devil.

* * *

Meanwhile, not too far away, The Teen Titans (Beast Boy, Terra, Cyborg, Robin and Starfire) were having a picnic. As their other friends had gone to Japan to have a vacation/mission, why shouldn't they have a break as well? Robin was the hardest to persuade since he was hell bent at training all day. Fortunately, all Starfire needed to do was pout and bat her eyes in an adorable manner, pleading for the boy of her dreams to agree.

Believe it or not, it worked. She used the 'Puppy-Dog-Pout' that Kim Possible had taught her. A very powerful weapon nonetheless.

As Terra, BB, Robin and Cyborg were playing a game of touch football, Starfire had gone off exploring.

"This forest is such a wonderous place! So many cute and fuzzy animals live here!" she giggled as she saw a family of rabbits hop by and as several squirrels scurried up their trees to keep and secure their secret stash of nuts. She then found herself at the river. It was so clean and full of fish swimming about on their merry business. Her reverie soon turned to distress as she saw something large floating by.

Something large floating by and surrounded by blood.

The alien gasped and she flew over to take a closer look and her eyes widened. She let out another gasp. "Oh my!"

It was a boy and he was severely injured, or worse.

Starfire quickly pulled the injured boy out of the stream and onto dry land. "Sir?" she asked, "Sir, are you okay?" she shook him but there was no response. She feared the worst. She placed her finger upon the boy's neck and was relieved to feel a pulse. However, it was weakening. "I must get the aid of my friends!" she told herself, whipping out her communicator. She yelled, frantically, "Robin! Robin, please respond!"

"Hey Star," Robin answered, smiling. He then saw the distressed look on Starfire's face, "Star? What's wrong?"

"Robin! Please come quickly for I have found a boy at the river and he is severely injured! Please! Bring the others for I fear he may not make it!"

"Okay Star!" Robin nodded. "Just stay where you are!" Starfire nodded, closing the communicator and looking over the injured boy. She heard him groaning. Was he waking up?

"Sir?" she flew over and kneeled down next to him. "Sir? Are you waking up?"

His eyes slowly fluttered open, revealing a pair of brown eyes, "Who…who are…you…?"

"I am Starfire, friend," she told him, smiling.

He struggled to get up, "I have to go…they are…they are after me…"

"Who are after you?" she asked, confused.

"I…I don't remember," he gritted his teeth from the pain. "Why can't I remember…?"

"What is your name?" she asked.

"Double…" he groaned, "Double-Trouble."

* * *

Narita International Airport, Tokyo, Japan

The black and silver Smart Brain jet reached its destination without failure. The 6 Teen Titans then stepped out, completely in their civilian disguises. Takada took in a deep breath of fresh air, stretching his arms out, "Home sweet home."

Leo said with a frown, "Yeah, home…" _Where it all began… _

Jen noticed this and wondered. _What's wrong with him?_

With the 6 teens were the two teen heroes, Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable. Don't forget Rufus.

"Thanks for the ride, Ichijyo," Kim told the Gothic teen.

"It's the least I could do for you Kim after you fixed the problem with the company's computer mainframe," Ichijyo told her.

"No big. Wade did all the work," she waved. Takada grumbled.

"He's a real genius, isn't he?" Ichijyo smirked, giving a sideway glance at Takada. Takada glared.

"He's still miffed about Wade fixing the mess he started, huh?" Ron whispered to Leo.

"You have no idea Ron…" Leo shook his head.

"Well, let's just go to the arrival gate, kay?" Karmen said, tugging at Takada's arm towards the gate. Takada reluctantly followed, glaring at Ichijyo the whole time.

"Did you have to yank his chain?" Rachel asked.

Ichijyo shrugged, "It was worth it."

"Come on guys," Leo put on a cheerful face, "My okaasan's limo is probably waiting for us."

"We'll be staying at your place?" Jen asked.

He nodded, "Uh huh."

"Makes sense," Ichijyo nodded. "Since we moved out and sold our old apartment, Leo's home is the only place we can stay, if you want a hotel of course."

"So why aren't we staying at a hotel?" Rachel asked.

"My mom asked if you'd like to stay at the mansion. Somehow, she knew about us all coming here to Japan," Leo glared at Takada. "Plus she can be really persuasive when she wants."

After going through customs and having their passports checked, right before stepping out of the arrival gate, Leo saw one of his mom's bodyguards holding up a sign. He sighed and told his friends to follow him. Outside, the teens were welcomed by the site of a long black limousine.

Meanwhile, at the arrival gate, a tall man with a muscular visage under his blue muscle shirt, black trench coat and matching pants stepped out. He wore a large black fedora and dark glasses. What could be seen of his hair was that it was the deepest shade of black and went down to his shoulders with unruly ends

The adventure begins…now.

To Be Continued…

Another OC or two has been introduced. Next, I'm going to put up my chapter regarding the other Titans in Tokyo. What is wrong with Smart Brain that it needs the Knights and just who is Double Trouble and what is he hiding? And why did I put Kim and Ron in? Reason one was that Ron was a Zodiac Knight too and I thought it'd be fun. Plus, Kim could help with the mission and investigation since she also knows what Smart Brain is about.

Also, I may update my Zodiac Knight Animorph fic, but not anytime soon. I just don't know how the girls (Kim, Zita and Monique) are gonna find out or react. My brain is killing me.

Also, do you think Double-Trouble will be a good or bad guy?

And Devan, the guy in the last scene was Ekelo. Thanks for helping me and letting me use your wonderful characters.

Disclaimer: The Teen Titans and all related characters are property of WB and DC. Kim Possible and all related characters are property of Disney. All other characters belong to me and other talented writers like Dr. Evans. Thanx to him and dozens of others, my story has gotten this far.

Well, ciao!


	23. PT023: The Mystery

Part 23: The Mystery

The limo pulled up in front of a large office building with an SB emblem emblazed on it.

"So this is Smart Brain, huh?' Kim asked as she stepped out of the limo with Ron and the other Titans.

"Yes," Ichijyo answered, "This company was founded by my father. It's basically a technologies company. Come on, follow me."

"It's been a very long time," Leo said as he looked up at the tall skyscraper of a building. He then frowned. No one else noticed this but Jen.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

Leo gave her a soft smile, "Nothing, nothing at all."

Jen narrowed her eyes, "Don't give me that. I know that face."

"What face?" he retorted.

"The face that tells me something's wrong." She coaxed, "Out with it, Ryuki Leonard Hasuma, I know you better that that."

Leo sighed, "Alrighr Jen. It's just that…it's just that this place holds a lot of memories for me. Some good and some…"

"Not so good?' she finished. "Like what?" she noticed the look on his face. "I'm sorry," she apologized. "I shouldn't have pried."

"It's okay, Jen."

"Hey you two!" Takada shouted, "C'mon or you'll be left behind!"

"Shall we?" Leo took Jen's hand, smiling.

Jen giggled and squeezed his hand. Together, they followed after the group into the building.

Ichijyo, Takada and Leo flashed the security guard their ID cards and informed him that the girls and Ron were with them. He allowed them in and the group continued on and stood in front of an elevator. Ichijyo pressed the button and they waited.

"That was easy," Rachel commented.

"As the son of Smart Brain's founder, I have full access to any and all branches of the company, Rachel. There's no secret this company has that I don't know. The same access has been given to Leo and Takada for similar reasons as well," Ichijyo told her.

"This place is amazing…" Karmen admired, looking up and around.

"You should see the lab," Takada told her, grinning.

"That would be the first place you'd go, wouldn't it?" Leo teased.

"So, what was stolen?" Kim asked.

"Didn't they tell you?" Jen asked.

"They didn't," Ron answered, "All they said was they needed Kim's help."

"This must really be big," Ichijyo said. "If they needed all our help, it must be big."

"But what?" Takada asked.

"I think that's why we're here," Leo narrowed his eyes, "To find out."

The elevator doors opened and the 8 teens entered. It was quite spacious on the inside and, fortunately, there was none of that elevator music that would drive people nuts.

"Going up?" Rachel asked.

Ichijyo took out a key card and inserted it into a slot above the row of buttons, "No." he pressed several buttons, entering an access code. The Titans and Team Possible watched as Ichijyo finished entering the code. "Down." He turned to look at the group, "I suggest you all hold on to something." Ichijyo took hold of one of the railings inside the elevator.

"Why?" Karmen asked.

"Don't ask questions Karmen," Takada held onto a railing tightly.

"Just do it!" Leo said, panicking.

The others were confused. Ichijyo didn't say anything more before punching the 'down' button, "Going down."

"I still don't see what the big deeeeeAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!" Karmen screamed. The others screamed as well as the elevator went down the shaft at super speed.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!"

"I HATE THIIIIIIIIIIIIIISS…!!" Pluto screamed, "I'M GONNA BE SIIIIIIIIICCCCCCCCKKKKKK!!"

"WOOOOOHHHHHHHOOOOOOOO!!" Draco whooped.

Ron hollered, "KP!! WE'RE GONNA! DIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!"

The shaft wasn't just a straight line going down; it was like a roller coaster, full of twist and turns, spirals, loop de loops, zigzags and sharp turns. The teens inside the elevator were being bumped around.

The doors came down onto a floor and the doors slowly slid open. With an exception of Ichijyo, all of the teens were in a disheveled pile in elevator, groaning.

"I can't believe I'm alive," Takada hyperventilated, "I can't believe I'm alive."

Karmen squeaked, "Okay, whose hand is on my butt?" she glared accusingly.

"I think it's mine," Leo groaned.

"Nope, your hand is under my leg," Takada winced.

"Get your foot out of my face!" Kim yelled, a bit muffled.

"Sorry KP!" Ron apologized.

"Leo, I think you're feeling me up," Jen asked, seeing a hand on her chest. Leo pulled away, blushing.

"Sorry," he apologized.

"That's okay," she flashed him a smile.

"So, whose hand is on my chest?" Rachel asked. She then noticed the culprit, "Takada…"

"I'm sorry!" he panicked.

The teens soon pulled themselves together, fixing their clothes. Ichijyo was helping Rachel up.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Do I look okay?" she asked glaring.

Ichijyo stifled a laugh. "Did I forget to mention that it was going to be a bumpy ride?"

"I think we would've remembered if you did, dude," Ron said. Rufus peaked out of Ron's pocket, feeling dizzy.

They stepped out of the elevator and gasped, with an exception of Ichijyo, Takada and Leo.

"Welcome to Smart Brain Top Secret Underground Lab," Takada said proudly, "My home away from home."

Suddenly, a dozen of laser guns came dropping down from the ceiling, aiming themselves at the teens. In addition, a laser grid erected itself around them. Rachel, Karmen, Kim and Jen readied for combat. Ichijyo grumbled before yelling out, "PROF. MURATA!"

"Oh my!" a woman in her mid forties dressed in a white lab coat over a white shirt and slacks, and her brown hair pulled back in a ponytail came up to them with a remote. She pressed a button and deactivated the lasers and grid. "Sorry about that! The system still has a few glitches."

"That's not the only thing with glitches," Ichijyo muttered. He then turned to his friends, "Let me introduce you all to Prof. Yuriko Murata, the head of Smart Brain's Research and Development division as well as the lab here."

"It's been a long time Ichijyo," she smiled. "And to you too, Operative Takada and Operative Hasuma. Konichiwa." She bowed.

Takada's smile was that of excitement as this woman was his mentor. Leo's smile was not as enthusiastic.

"Konichiwa, Murata-sensei," Takada bowed.

"Konichiwa, Murata-sama," Leo bowed.

Rachel, Kim, Jen, Karmen and Ron bowed as well.

"Now, if you may please follow me," Prof. Murata instructed as she lead them onto a conveyer belt. The teens did but not before giving a one last glance towards the elevator.

As they rode on the belt, they passed through a corridor. Left and right were windows showing them several scientists at work, mostly with machinery and chemicals. One scientist accidentally blew his experiment up while another one was being attacked by a rather large hamster. They sweatdropped. They soon came upon a metal door. Prof. Murata forward and slashed her ID card through the slot before entering a code. "Access code confirmed." She then pressed her hand onto a green scanner. It scanned her hand. "Hand print confirmed." An eye scanner came up and scanned her eye. "Retina scan, confirmed." She then spoke into the microphone, "This is Prof. Yuriko Murata." The machine then said, "Voice print confirmed. Welcome Prof. Murata" The doors slid open and the group followed after her.

The girls and Ron gasped.

Jen was the first to speak, "Woah…"

Prof. Murata spread her arms wide, "Welcome to Smart Brain's Top Secret Research and Development Division."

"I've missed this place," Takada said, almost coming to tears.

"You would," Ichijyo rolled his eyes.

The teens followed Prof. Murata in and they watched as various scientists were either building stuff, experimenting, or doing research. Takada was feeling like a child in a candy shop. To him, this was his sanctuary.

"C'mon, boy," Karmen tugged on his arm, "You can drool over all the pretty tech later."

"Wade would love it here," Kim commented.

"Kim! Ron!" yelled a familiar voice. Kim and Ron looked at each other and then turned to gave upon the visage of their tech expert and friend.

"WADE!" they both exclaimed.

The young Wade Load walked up tot hem and shook their hands, "Glad you could come guys. This place is AWESOME!"

Takada was struck with shock, "THIS IS WADE?" the tech genius of Team Possible was a little KID!?

"What else were you expecting?" Wade asked.

"Wade, you're…you're…" Kim began.

"You're out of your room dude!" Ron finished. "Or are you a hologram?"

"Nope," Wade smiled, "One hundred percent flesh and blood Ron."

"We asked Mr. Load here to help us with our research," Prof. Murata explained.

"It wasn't easy," Wade admitted.

Prof. Murata continued, "But we managed to get him to come here to Smart Brain. Mr. Load's intelligence is amazing. I have yet to see a child prodigy that possesses an intellect quite like his."

"Ahem!" Takada cleared his throat.

Prof. Murata quickly corrected, "Aside from Takada-san, of course." She laughed.

"Somehow Wade," Leo began, "I pictured you…taller."

"You must be Ryuki," Wade guessed, "Son of Emiko Narukawa Hasuma, President of Narukawa Fashion Inc."

"How…how…" Leo stuttered.

"I looked your bio up," Wade apologized, "Sorry."

Leo waved, "Don't be. Call me Leo, please." He took Wade's hand and shook it.

"And you must be Ichijyo," Wade looked up at the Snake Knight.

"I'm glad to meet your acquaintance, Mr. Load," Ichijyo nodded.

"Just Wade, okay?"

"Wade then." Ichijyo then asked, "So, what's the problem?" this question was directed towards Prof. Murata.

"Come with me," Prof. Murata told them, leading them into a large control room with a large window that showed the inside of a white room. The room was empty.

"So…" Jen began, "What are we supposed to be seeing here?"

Prof. Murata nodded and Wade nodded back. He sat down in front of the console and typed in a few keys. A computer monitor came to life showing a 3D computer model of a motorbike spinning on its access from being viewed from the side and another one from above. The words, 'Project Desert Stinger' was typed in bold letters above the model.

"A bike?" Kim quirked an eyebrow.

"Not just any bike, Miss Possible," Prof. Murata began, "But a weapon."

"A weapon?" Kim questioned, "What kind of weapon?"

Prof. Murata explained, "An AI equipped, fully armed, battle motorcycle."

"AI?" Ron scratched his head.

"Artificial intelligence Ron," Leo answered.

"Remember, Ron?" Kim reminded.

"Oh yeah!" Ron remembered, "The guy with the talking car and kitchen appliances."

Everyone in the room, except Kim, Rufus, Wade and Prof. Murata stared at him strangely.

Kim said, "Don't ask."

"The bike was stolen yesterday," Prof. Murata finished.

Takada sat down next to Wade and typed on the console as well, bringing up the bikes schematics and capabilities, "This is amazing…" he gasped. "A fully adaptable and self learning bike due to its AI processor."

"The Desert Stinger was the first of a brand new generation of Smart Bikes," Yuriko said proudly.

"So this was why you called us?" Ichijyo asked, "One of your little toys got stolen?"

Prof. Murata nodded, "But that wasn't the only reason."

"Then what?' Rachel asked.

"Well…" Prof. Murata's eyes shifted uncomfortably, 'I'll show you." She leaned over the console and typed in a command. The monitor shifted from the schematics to that of the security video. It first showed the Desert Stinger right where it was, in the room. Suddenly, the lights turned off and when they came back on, the bike was gone, without a trace.

* * *

Meanwhile, back at Titans Tower, the teenage boy (Double-Trouble) that Starfire had found had been brought back and placed in the infirmary. The Titans were standing around him as Cyborg ran his bio scan over the boy. His eyes widened. "No way…"

He had made a startling discovery.

To Be Continued…

ZK Chromedragozoid: The plot thickens…Wade is out of his room and the Titans and Team Possible are about to work together. How was the bike stolen and by who? Meanwhile, back in Jump, the other Titans had found something about Double-Trouble that was truly startling. What is it? Does Double-Trouble have something to hide? Is he friend or foe?


	24. PT024: Double Identity

Part 24: Double Identity

Cyborg gasped as his bio scanner fed him the physical information on their 'guest'. "No way…"

"Please friend," Starfire began, "What is that which has surprised you?"

"Yeah Cy," Beast Boy added, "What got you so freaked?"

"This guy…" Cyborg paused, "He ain't human."

The Titans were speechless for about 5 seconds before yelling out, "WHAT!?"

"But…but he looks…human," Terra stuttered, trying to process the words.

"So does Superman," Robin pointed out.

"Good point," she nodded.

Cyborg shook his head, "No, I mean he's human, but not all human."

"What do you mean?" Starfire asked, wanting a clearer answer. "Please, tell us."

A cable extended from Cyborg's arm, "I think I should show you," Cyborg hooked the cable up to the med computer, "Take a look." The computer showed the results of the bio scan Cyborg performed and they all gasped.

"Oh my…" Starfire's eyes widened.

"Heavy…" Terra whispered.

"Now that is sick!" Beast Boy added.

Robin's eyes narrowed and he gave a simple, "Hm…"

"My bio scans showed me that, about 60 percent of him…is either mechanical or electronic, or both," Cyborg explained, "In other words, he's a cyborg, like me, but at the same time, not like me at all."

"What is THAT supposed to mean?" Beast Boy interjected, "Like you but not like you?"

"The mechanical parts in him, I've never seen them before like they were from another planet or something…I think he's an alien," Cyborg finished.

"But you said he was human," Terra reminded.

"Earth is not the only planet with humans on it, if you want to know…" said a new voice. The Titans froze and turned their attention onto the patient, "Hello. Could you please tell me where I am?"

Starfire was the first to answer, "You are currently on the planet Earth of the Sol system, or more specifically, Titans Tower situated in Jump City of the country known as America."

" America…?" the stranger tried to scratch his head but his whole body was sore. He groaned and grunted, "Ugh…"

"Easy there," Beast Boy said.

"Star found you all beaten up and in the river," Cyborg added, "How did you get there anyway?"

"That's what I want to know…" Robin stared at the stranger, suspiciously.

The stranger looked down and realized that he was wearing only a hospital gown. He asked, "Where are my clothes?"

"We sorta had to take your clothes off to check if there were any other injuries," Terra blushed, "Sorry."

"That's okay," the stranger nodded. His eyes were brown as his mask had been removed as well.

"First thing's first," Robin leaned closer so that he was staring the stranger eye to eye, "What's your name?"

"My name?" he blinked. He then began clutching his head. "My…Name…?" he gritted his teeth, "I…I…I can't remember…"

The Titans to a step back to give him room. He had amnesia.

"It looks like he has amnesia," Cyborg analyzed, "Must've been from that fall he probably took before he got washed upstream."

"Amnesia…?" the stranger asked, looking a little better.

"Well, it's useless to ask him anything right now, right?" Beast Boy told Robin.

"I guess…" Robin nodded, agreeing, for now.

"I do remember one thing though…something I was called," the stranger said.

"What is it?" Robin asked. Any information would be better than nothing.

"I think I was called…Double-Trouble."

The Titans were silent. Double-Trouble? Why would anyone have a nickname like that?

"Double…Trouble…?" Beast Boy mouthed the words.

Terra said, "That was what he said, Beast Boy."

"I do remember him saying that when I found him," Starfire added.

"Well, what will we do with him?" Robin questioned.

"Hello?" Double-Trouble whistled to get their attention, "You know I can hear you, right? I have amnesia. I'm not deaf."

"Double-Trouble…" Cyborg began.

"DT," Double-Trouble interjected.

"Huh?" Cyborg quirked an eyebrow.

"I believe that I was called that for short. DT. Please call me DT."

"DT it is then," Cyborg smiled.

"So, DT…" Robin was looking for the right words, "Cyborg sort of scanned you and we found something…interesting about you."

"Is it my implants?" DT replied, "Or is it something I don't even know?" Somehow, he remembered his cybernetic implants.

"Wait…you remember that?" Robin asked.

"I may have amnesia," DT retorted, "But I do know if something like cybernetic implants and enhancements have been surgically put inside me."

"So…" Cyborg asked, "You're a cyborg?"

"I think the term should be 'Modified Life Form'," DT corrected.

"Yeah," Cy nodded. "And that you're alien?"

"Alien? I'm as human as the rest of you," DT crossed his arms. He then corrected as he got a good look at the Titans, "Okay, maybe not as human as all of you." He continued, "Is this an interrogation or something? Because, if it is, I don't even remember anything right now due to the fall you said I took." He tapped his bandage covered head, "I don't even remember my real name, so I doubt that I can answer anymore questions anytime soon, unless my brain reboots or something like that."

"Reboot…?" Beast Boy scratched his head. "Is your brain a computer or something?"

"No," Cyborg shook his head, "I checked. Although, I did find a chip in it though."

"In a way, our brains are kind of like computers, if you come to think of it that way," DT told them. He then yawned and rubbed his eyes.

"Are you tired friend DT?" Starfire asked. The word 'friend' got DT's attention.

"Friend?" he questioned, "But I barely know any of you. How can I be your friend?"

"That's Starfire for ya," Terra smiled, "Wanting to make friends with everybody." Terra pointed to herself, "By the way, I'm Terra."

The Titans took turns introducing themselves.

"I am Starfire and I am pleased to meet your acquaintance new friend DT!"

"The ladies call me Beast Boy coz I'm a party animal."

"Cyborg, like the name says, I'm a cyborg."

"And I'm Robin, leader of Teen Titans."

"Teen…Titans…?" DT quirked an eyebrow.

"That's what we are," Robin explained further, "We help to protect the city by stopping bad guys and fighting crime."

"So, you're like the city's own police force?" DT inquired. He was getting very interested with this new information. The chip in his brain was starting to collect as his interest peaked.

"More like its own superhero team," Robin replied, his distrust of this individual, not totally gone, but lessened. Robin continued, "Say, we want to know, judging by your clothes, the bio scan and other stuff we found out, you're not from around here, are you?"

"I don't know really…" DT scratched his head. "I don't remember much except that I'm a cyborg and that I'm called Double-Trouble," he shrugged. "Sorry that I can't tell you anything more."

* * *

Back in Smart Brain, Tokyo…

"Sorry that I can't tell you anything more guys," Wade said, defeated, "But I ran that footage through a thousand times and I still can't find a thing that can help us."

"Just keep working on it Wade," Kim said, encouraging the young genius.

"If anyone can do it, it's you, Wade," Ron added, equally encouraging.

"Humph!" Takada grumbled.

"And you too, Takada," Ron added, not wanting the Dog Knight to be angered.

"Good," Takada smiled at the Monkey Knight.

"At the mean time," Leo continued, "Are our old uniforms still around?"

"They are still in your lockers if you need them," Prof. Murata answered.

"Good," Ichijyo nodded, "Let's suit up, guys." He began leading Leo and Takada towards the locker room but not before kissing Rachel on the hand, "I'll be back, luv."

"You better," she threatened, playfully, "I hold you to your word."

"Later, Jenny-chan," Leo kissed his girlfriend on the cheek. She blushed and giggled.

Karmen was not going to have a small kiss on the cheek or hand. Instead, she slung her arms around Takada's neck, pulling him into a deep and passionate kiss. The others turned away and blushed. Prof. Murata cleared her throat.

"Wow…" Takada had hearts in his eyes, "What a woman."

"Let's go, mongrel," Ichijyo rolled his eyes.

* * *

The Knights were in the locker room and began changing into their Smart Brain uniforms. They first took off their civilian clothes before pulling on matching black armored jumpsuits before adding on the accessories that differentiated them from each other. They put on elbow length gloves and knee high boots, colored coded for each of them. The shoulder pads, knee pads and elbow pads were also color-coded.

Leo/Draco: Red

Takada/Pluto: Blue

Ichijyo/Shadowcobra: Purple

* * *

The girls and Ron were in a living room-like area within the lab. Rachel, Jen and Karmen were waiting for their boyfriends.

"Hey girls, we're back," Takada called, walking in.

"It's about-" Karmen's jaw dropped, "Woah." Rachel and Jen had equally shocked expressions.

The Knights were dressed in matching black armored jump suits with different colored boots, gloves, elbow pads and knee pads for the each of them. Their individual insignias decorated their shoulder pads while the Smart Brain 'SB' emblem was on their silver and black belt buckles. They also had on color coded masks.

"Wow," Rachel blinked.

"You're hot!" Jen squealed.

The Knights simultaneously saluted and answered, starting with Shadow, "Special Operative Shadowcobra."

"Special Operative Pluto."

"Special Operative Draco."

They then said together, "Special Smart Brain Task Force Unit. Codename: Masked Riders, reporting for duty."

To Be Continued…

Looks like the plot thickens some more. Next up, the Titans in Tokyo, as well as Team Possible, will be taking a trip to Draco's mansion. If you think this guy was loaded before, wait until you see his house.


	25. PT025: The Dragon's Castle

Part 25: The Dragon's Castle

After explaining to the Titans girls, and Team Possible, about what Smart Brain really was (A secret organization using the whole technologies company as a front but is actually working on stopping the invasion of Mirror Dimension monsters into the real world), Draco got back into his civilian clothes and then said, "Well, now that that's over, why don't we go find a place to stay?"

Jen blinked, "Where are we going?"

Leo smiled, "My mansion, of course."

Rachel, Karmen and Jen's eyes widened.

"Your…" Rachel began.

"…Mansion…?" Karmen finished.

"Well," Leo shrugged, "My okaasan found out that we were all arriving here, so she asked us to stay over at the mansion. That's not bad, is it?"

Jen quickly shook her head, "Of course not!"

"How about you? Kim? Ron?" he looked down at the naked mole rat. "Rufus?"

Ron began, "I guess we could-" but Kim interrupted.

"Ron…the mission…remember?" she reminded, sharply.

Ron quickly changed his mind, "Oh yeah, the mission!" he winked, "Sorry KP." He turned to answer Leo, "Sorry dude, but me and KP have to continue with our mission and the investigating stuff."

Leo merely waved it off, "That's okay, Ron. We'll see you later." He turned is attention to the girls, "Well, ladies, what are we waiting for?"

Rachel asked, "What about Ichijyo?"

Ichijyo walked into the room, wearing a black suit and tie, "I have some paperwork to do."

"Paperwork?" Rachel quirked an eyebrow, "What paperwork?"

Ichijyo sighed, "This is the Tokyo branch of my family's company and I was put in charge of it. I've been running the company online from the Tower and now I have to actually go to the office and sign PLENTY of paperwork. Plus, there's the issue involving the missing technology" He frowned, "However, I rather be with you, my little blackbird." He gave her an apologetic look.

Rachel placed a hand to his cheek and then a kiss to his lips. She smiled, "That's okay. Later then?"

"Later," he smiled at her.

"What will you be doing?" Karmen asked Takada. He was still in his uniform but wearing a white lab coat over it.

"Have to work in the lab and to find any leads…with Wade…" he said the last part reluctantly. Takada didn't really hate Wade, he was just a little jealous that a KID was a genius more so than he was. Wade gave him a thumb's up.

"Well then, we'll see you later at the dragon's mansion, okay puppy?" the older Tamaranean princess placed a kiss on his lips but then pulled him into a French kiss, complete with tongue. Ichijyo cleared his throat while Wade watched slack jawed at the PDA. Karmen rolled her eyes and let Takada go, putting the Dog Knight in a dazed stance. He had a large and goofy grin on his face as he fell back into one of the chair near the console.

"Okay…" Leo said nervously, "Let's go girls." The 4 of them made their way towards the elevator and the girls eyed it nervously.

"Can't we take a detour?" Rachel asked. Leo shook his head.

"We can only go out the way we came in, unfortunately," he groaned.

"That's not exactly an experience I wanna repeat, baby," Jen whined.

"Oh, suck it up, pinky!" Karmen glared. Jen glared back and was about to fire a hex when her boyfriend stopped her.

"Girls, relax," he said to them, calmly. "I guess we could always just take the escalators…but those things take forever."

Rachel nodded, "Escalators then."

* * *

The foursome arrived at the main entrance and walked out to the welcome sight of the limo. 4 bodyguards, 2 on each side of the group, stood stationary, guarding Leo.

"I don't get it," Karmen whispered into Leo's ear. "You're a superhero. Why all these bodyguards?"

Leo sweatdropped. "Well…my okaasan is a little overprotective…"

"A little?" Rachel raised an eyebrow.

"Okay…" Leo slowly said. He then quickly changed the subject, "Let's get into the limo. The sooner we get there, the sooner we can start this vacation."

"Lead the way, baby," Jen cooed as she hooked arms with her boyfriend.

They entered the limo, followed by the bodyguards who went into a black car behind them. As the limo pulled away from the front of the building, Jen asked, "What's your mansion like?"

Leo only gave her a cryptic smile, "You'll see…"

The limo drove through the street, followed by the bodyguards' vehicle. After several minutes of driving, the girls finally saw the mansion through the car window. Jen's jaw dropped.

"Woah…"

The limo entered through the automatic gate, followed by the bodyguards. The girls' eyes widened when they saw the compound.

"You're not just rich…" Jen said breathlessly, "YOU'RE LIKE A PRINCE!"

"I have to agree with pinky on this," Karmen nodded.

The whole estate was HUGE and surrounded by a gate. There was a large front yard with a maze smacked down in the middle. The limo passed by a tennis court and a swimming pool as well as a large temple-like structure (The dojo). Finally, the limo pulled up in front of the mansion and it was some mansion. It was a large castle-like structure that was about 4 stories high and painted white all over. The girls stepped out of the limo and their eyes widened to the size of dinner plates and their jaws dropped to the ground.

Rachel let out an uncharacteristic, "Woah," which summarized her reaction perfectly.

Leo turned to face the group and spread his arms wide, gesturing to the mansion, "Ladies…welcome to the Dragon Manor…"

Suddenly, the front doors slammed open, startling the group, except for Leo and the bodyguards. Leo knew who this was besides his mother.

"RYUKI!!!" a woman rushed down the stairs that led towards the front door and slung her arms around the young Dragon Knight. She had chin length graying red hair and was dressed in a yellow business suit. She also had a pair of sapphire blue eyes. Leo hugged the woman back.

"It's good to see you…obaachan (Obaachan means grandmother in Japanese)," Leo said. She let the boy go and he introduced the woman to his companions. "Girls, meet my grandmother, Sonomi Narukawa." The woman bowed and the girls bowed back.

"So Ryuki…" Sonomi began, "Which one is your girlfriend?"

"Ryuki?" Karmen asked.

"That's his first name," Jen replied.

"Well…" Leo began.

"Mother, please…" the familiar visage of Emiko Narukawa Hasuma walked down the steps, "You're embarrassing the boy…"

Sonomi rolled her eyes, "Emiko…you have your video camera out and you're saying I'm embarrassing them?"

Emiko laughed sheepishly and quickly hid the camera behind her back.

"Wow…Pluto wasn't kidding when he told me about Draco's mom," Karmen whispered to Rachel.

"Trust me, we found out that little exaggeration is needed to describe Leo's family." Rachel whispered back.

"It's good to see you again, okaasan," Leo bowed.

"And it's good to see you back home, Ryuki…" Emiko bowed back. "And to you too Jen, Rachel and…" she didn't know who the black haired girl with them was but she reminded her of Kori somehow.

"Karmen," Blackfire answered, "I'm Kori's big sister."

"Ah yes," Emiko nodded, "Come in everyone."

"Where's ojiichan?" Leo asked.

"He's in the dojo, again…that old kook," Sonomi answered.

"Mother," Emiko nodded, "Be nice…"

"Jen, girls, do you mind going in first with okaasan and obaachan? I need to go see my grandfather. Do you think you can manage?" Leo asked.

Jen shrugged, "I don't see why not."

"Good," he kissed her on the cheek, "Later." He rushed off towards the dojo.

"Wonder what his grandfather's like?" Karmen asked.

"If he's anything like his family, not exactly normal," Rachel said.

The girls followed after the two older women through the front doors while their luggage was being carried by the bodyguards. The inside of the home was beautiful. The hall was wide and painted white. The floor was made out of white marble. The girls took off their shoes as instructed and put on matching slippers as they continued their way into the mansion.

* * *

Leo, on the other hand, entered through the large doorway of the dojo, "Hello…? Ojiichan? Are you there?"

* * *

The girls were being given the grand tour. They saw the bath house, the sauna, the gym, the dining hall, the swimming pool as well as the message room and rec room.

"Now, we'll see you to your rooms," Emiko clapped her hands and a trio of maids appeared.

"Please follow us," the maids curtseyed as they led the girls up the stairs and towards the guest rooms.

* * *

The dojo was dark and Leo had to narrow his eyes. He then realized he had cat-like senses so he refocuses his eyes to a cat's night-vision. He still didn't see nor hide or hair of his grandfather.

_Where is he?_ He thought. Suddenly, his senses flared up. He leapt into the air just in time as three spears impaled the spit he was on. He landed on a other spot, only to have the floor give away and into a pit of spikes. Leo grabbed onto the edge of the pit and flipped himself over and back onto the floor. He heard a snap and rolled out of the way as a section of the ceiling, covered in spikes, fell down. He then slammed his palm onto the tatami flooring and pulled up one of the sheets as shurikens and daggers stabbed into it. The sound of applause was soon heard as the lights came on. An aging man with a grey moustache, dressed in a karate gi and wearing a bandanna on his head clapped his hands.

"It seems you still haven't lost your touch, grandson," the man applauded.

"I had a good sensei," Leo smiled as he bowed. "It's good to see you again, ojiichan."

"As it is good to see you as well," the man, known as Kokoru, snapped his fingers and several black clad ninjas showed up and placed down a round table as well as prepared some tea and sushi. Kokoru sat down at one end and Leo sat down opposite his grandfather. The man then asked as he poured some tea for his grandson, "What have you been up to these many months?" and Leo answered, "Ojiichan, you are not going to believe this."

To Be Continued…


	26. PT026: Cyberdog

Part 26: Cyberdog (CD)

Pluto was still in the SB lab, working to find any leads with Wade, Team Possible's tech guru. It wasn't like he hated the kid, but the idea of a simple kid being smarter than him well…it made him envious. He let out a sigh as he slouched in his chair. Wade noticed this.

"Tired, Takada?" he asked the Dog Knight who responded with a yawn.

"Just jet lag," Pluto answered, rubbing his mask covered eyes. It wasn't an easy job, finding any leads. He kept replaying the footage over and over again but found none. He squinted his eyes as he stared at the monitor, "None of the security grids were tripped so how did the guy do it?' he yawned again and took a swig of coffee.

"Magic maybe?" Wade supplied. He has had a lot of experience with magic while he was Team Possible's tech guru.

Pluto rubbed his chin, "Possible…very possible. However, the lab has also been rigged with a paranormal/supernatural energy sensory device." It was true. Pluto had designed it based on Shadow's request since magic existed. Therefore, a PSE sensory device had been installed into the security system. "But so far, nothing. Besides Shadow and Draco, there hasn't been any evidence of psychic or magical energy at the site."

"Better keep checking, huh?" Wade suggested.

"Yeah," Pluto yawned, "I guess."

"Takada-san…How's the investigation coming along?" Prof. Murata asked as she entered the room.

Pluto shook his head, "So far, nothing. We've ran the footage through dozens of times and got only zip. First the bike is there then _woosh_ it's not there like it vanished without a trace."

Wade contradicted, "There's always a trace, even a micro one. We just have to find it."

"It would be way easier to find the bike if a tracking device had been installed," Pluto groaned.

"We were getting to the tracking device, but it got stolen before we were able to install it," Prof. Murata admitted.

"Was it after you installed all of its accessories?" Wade punched in a few keys, pulling up the bike's schematics. Pluto stared at it.

"This is one tricked out bike," he said after gasping, "Laser cannon in the headlights, mini-rocket launchers in the back, fully functional battle AI, self repairing system…" he did a double take, "Self repairing system?"

"The bike also had nanotech built in so that it could repair itself," Prof. Murata explained.

"Sounds like the cybertronic technology Kim's dad worked on," Wade remembered.

"You mean those Lil Diablos?" Pluto shuddered, "Those things gave me the creeps."

"Well, it's like that but not exactly like Dr. Possible's cybertronic tech. It's our own design. Plus, it doesn't grow, which is a good thing," Prof. Murata said in a relieved tone. "So, what are Kim and Ron doing?"

Wade answered, "They think that Motor Ed may be behind this. It does seem to be his MO."

"Stealing hi-tech motor vehicles, seems like it," Pluto agreed, "But still doesn't explain how the footage didn't capture anything." He added, "He could've cut the tape or something but the time is still the same. There have been no alterations made at all."

"So, we can scratch Motor Ed off the list?" Prof. Murata asked.

Wade shook his head, "Not yet. He's still a suspect."

Pluto grinned, "Paperwork must really be killing Shadow right now."

"What makes you say that?" Wade asked.

"For starters," Pluto began, "He's a perfectionist, meaning he triple checks all the documents. This is both his strength and weakness. Added with the fact that he HATES doing paperwork at all. I mean, he's bound to blow up because of stress, right?"

"It does seem like Ichijyo-san to have a temper," Prof. Murata agreed. She then realized something, "Oh, by the way Takada-san, there's someone here I think wants to meet you."

"Who?" Pluto turned his seat around, anxious and curious. There was a loud barking sound and a silver blur leapt through the door and into the Dog Knight's lap, nearly knocking the wind out of him. "Oof!" he then looked down and a huge smile got plastered on his masked face. "CYBERDOG!" the little robotic dog looked up and barked. Actually, Cyberdog was really an AIBOU robotic dog. However, Pluto had slightly re-modified its programming and its circuitry so that it would move and acted like a real dog, without any of the unpleasant shortcoming of owning a dog. Pluto picked it up and a silvery tongue licked his face. Pluto laughed like a child on Christmas morning and Prof. Yuriko smiled. "Oh, I missed you CD! Yes I did! Who's the good boy!"

"CD?" Wade questioned.

Pluto explained, "When I was a kid, I wanted a dog. Unfortunately, my parents couldn't get me one because I had a tendency to be a little…"

"Absent minded?" Wade supplied. Pluto groaned but nodded.

"Anyway, a real dog would be too much responsibility and there was a possibility I may forget to feed it," Pluto continued, "Therefore, I saved up and bought myself an AIBOU robot dog. But, there was something about it that was missing, so I decided to use my technological know-how and did some tinkering. The result was Cyberdog, CD for short." Pluto scratched CD behind the ears and it growled happily, wagging its tail.

"But don't those things need to recharge?" Wade asked. Pluto shook his head.

"CD runs on an infinitely supplied power cell. He can last FOREVER on that baby, isn't that right boy?" CD barked.

"I've been keeping CD with me this whole time while Pluto was away. I've grown quite fond of him and he's helped me with my chores," Prof. Murata s smiled.

CD noticed Wade and leapt off Pluto's lap and into Wade's. Wade let out a yelp but smiled as CD looked up at him with its mechanical tongue out and tail wagging. Wade admitted, "In a weird kinda way, he's kinda cute."

CD responded with a bark.

* * *

Meanwhile, back in Titans Tower, Jump City, another cybernetic life form was slowly regaining his strength. Soon, it would be time for DT to show his metal, literally.

"I hope I don't freak them out," he said slowly and nervously. He slowly slipped his own clothes on and stared at the twin bracelets. The golden bands glinted in the light.

To Be Continued…

Well, looks like Pluto will be busy with the investigation with Wade and who knew he had a pet. Read and Review guys


	27. PT027: A Solid Lead

Part 27: A Solid Lead

In Tokyo Asylum for the Criminally Insane, a man was sitting in a white padded cell and wearing a straight jacket. He also had a muzzle on and was strapped to a gurney. His room could be seen through the bars covering the small square hole of his door. His name was Asakura a.k.a. The Sandman, a very dangerous criminal. He leered at the door with hateful eyes.

One of the guards peaked through the cell doors and cringed, "Even tied up he still scares me."

"Don't worry, pal," said his partner, "He won't be able to escape this time. Remember, those Masked Riders took him down and brought him to us."

"I guess. We should thank those Rider guys. Too bad we don't know who they are," sighed Guard #1

"I know. My daughter is crazy about them. She wants me to get an autograph if I see them," Guard #2 told him.

"It's strange, isn't it? The Masked Rider haven't been seen or heard from in almost three months. Just, where are they, anyway?"

"Maybe they retired or something. Who knows? All I know is that the cops can handle things now thanks to the gadgets Smart Brain Corp has been supplying the police force."

"I guess you're right."

Asakura has been listening to the guard conversation with a feeling of total disgust and resentment, "Riders…" he growled, "I will get you…especially you…Ryuki…"

* * *

Leo was in his room in his mansion. So far, there haven't been any clues to point out who the thief was and how he was able to break in to steal the bike. Almost all the security cams only footage was quite blurry and had static interference. The only lead they had was unreliable as it was the bike disappearing into thin air. Ichijyo was busy doing paperwork while Takada was going through the footage over and over again. The young dragon Knight sighed.

Leo's room was 4 times the size of his room back in Titans Tower. The walls were painted red with posters of dragons all over the walls. A drum set rested in a corner and in another corner was a bookshelf. There was curtain nearby and it wasn't covering a window. He lay on his bed, bored.

"Some vacation," he said to no one in particular, "Not much to do except tracking down that thief. Rachel's out meditating and Karmen's out shopping. Kim and Ron are probably halfway across the world" He realized, "Wonder what Jenny-chan is doing?" Suddenly, everything went dark, "Hey! What's going on? Who turned off the lights?"

"Guess who…?" a soft voice purred into his ear. He shuddered.

"Jenny-chan?" he answered. Said Jen removed her hands from his eyes and plopped down onto the bed, settling herself in her boyfriend's lap.

"Got that right, cutie!" she tapped Leo's nose playfully and giggled. Leo loved the sound of her laugh. She wrapped her arms around him and cuddled.

"So, what did you do today?" he asked.

"Well, your mother and grandmother both took me on a tour around their companies. Your mom said I'd make a great model while your grandmother said I might have a career as a toy designer."

"Toy designer?" he questioned.

"I have several sketches. Mostly some drawings of dolls and stuff. It's kinda like a hobby," she told him.

"Dolls?" Leo quirked an eyebrow. He couldn't see Jen with dolls, it just didn't seem right. "They weren't voodoo dolls by any chance?" Jen glared. "What?"

"Just because I'm a witch, doesn't mean I can only do voodoo dolls, kay?" she said indignantly.

"Jen…I found several voodoo dolls portraying the Titans in…disturbing…positions in your room, remember?" he reminded her.

Jen waved her hand dismissingly, "Relax. Those were just some souvenirs of my villainy days. I was never gonna use em."

Leo raised his eyebrow skeptically, "Really?"

"Don't you trust me…Ryuki?" she purred. Leo rolled his eyes. Recently, he had allowed her usage of his first name. He never really cared for it but she insisted so he had to give in. Especially to those cute kitty cat eyes he always got lost in. Like what he was doing now. Her eyes were both gentle and feral at the same time, much like his green eyes. He leaned over and gave her a passionate kiss. Jen savored it as she kissed back. Soon, he had her under him and they were making out like crazy. Jen's legs wrapped around his waist as she ran her fingers through his messy red locks. Leo was running his hands up and down her thin body. This was, absolutely, positively, his favorite part of their relationship.

Which was why he hated to be interrupted.

His SB cell phone suddenly rang and he picked it up. Jen fixed her clothes as he flipped it open and growled, "What is it?"

* * *

Meanwhile, back at the top-secret, high-level, highly-secured, underground, lab in Smart Brain, Takada and Wade were working on the computer. Takada was checking up on the files regarding the research and development of the Desert Stinger.

He rubbed his chin, "Impressive…a fully artificial intelligent computer built into the vehicle, allowing it to learn and adapt. Quite ingenious."

"It is, isn't it?" Prof. Murata spoke over the Dog Knight's shoulder. "It was our first working prototype. We were going to improve on it to give you guys the advantage."

"Why?" Takada questioned, "Our monsters can turn into vehicles too, remember?"

Wade asked, "They can?"

"I know. But they're living, breathing organisms, with special transformation powers. Only if I could study them," she said to him, thinking deeply. Takada shook his head.

"They won't allow it, trust me," Takada told her.

"Hey, Takada, Wade, Prof. Murata," Leo greeted as he entered the lab, with Jen.

"Hey, Leo," Takada turned in his chair and grinned, "I called you but you never returned my calls. What happened?"

"I was…" Leo was looking for the right words, "Preoccupied."

The Dog Knight grinned, "I can see that." Both Leo and Jen blushed. The dragon Knight cleared his throat in embarrassment, "Anywho…" the Dog Knight continued, "We may have a lead on the stolen bike."

"What is it?" Jen inquired, quite interested.

"Check this out," Wade turned on a monitor, "This was what we found."

"Okay…" Leo narrowed his feline eyes, "What am I supposed to be seeing here?"

"Just watch."

The monitor showed the Desert Stinger still under tight security which was mostly a laser grid. Suddenly, it disappeared.

Jen blinked, "What the?"

"Pay attention to the shiny wall," Takada rewound the tape and replayed it, "See anything?"

"What am I supposed to be seeing here?" Leo asked. Takada sighed and rewound the tape again. He paused at a certain part and zoomed in.

"Wait!" Leo exclaimed, "I see something."

"What?" Jen asked. Leo pointed at a section of a wall. It was blurry but it looked like the reflection of a man.

"And the weirdest part is no one was around to cast a reflection at all," Prof. Murata pointed out.

"You know what that means don't you?" Takada grinned manically while playing with his fingers like a plotting mad scientist.

"The thief was a Zodiac Knight!" Jen and Leo realized.

"Bingo!" Takada snapped his fingers, "B-I-N-G-O! And Bingo was his name-o!"

Leo and Jen sweatdropped, Wade groaned, while Prof. Murata clapped merrily.

"We should tell Ichijyo about this," Leo said.

"Before or after we identify the perp?"

* * *

Ichijyo was up in his office doing some paperwork. He hated doing this but it was his duty to manage the Tokyo branch of Smart Brain until the real manager came home from his vacation.

"I hate this…" he groaned, massaging his wrist. He rather be anywhere but this stuffy office. He was a field agent for crying out loud. "Stupid paperwork," he grumbled. His cell phone and rang and he flipped it open, "Hello?" he answered.

"Ichijyo?" it was Raven. Ichijyo smiled and sighed. He loosened his tie and replied, "What is it, Raven?"

"Well..." Raven began, "If you're not too busy or anything." She continued, "Would you like to go with me to this night club I found. It's a Goth club and I think you might like it."

Ichijyo smiled. He eyes the paperwork and grumbled. He was about to say no but thought, _To Hell with all this paperwork!_ He threw the documents off his desk and answered, "Sure, Raven. When?"

"10 pm, tonight."

Ichijyo smirked, "I'll be there." he looked at the papers strewn all over the floor and sighed. Using his telekinesis, he arranged them all nice and tidy on his desk and began stamping them. Suddenly, his SB cell rang again. He flipped it open and answered, "Hello?"

"ICHIJYO!" Takada's voice barked through. Ichijyo flinched, "YOU AREN'T GONNA BELIEVE THIS!"

"Can you please cease your excitement, Takada?" Ichijyo hissed.

"Oh, sorry Ichijyo. Anyway, we've found a lead on who swiped Project: Desert Stinger."

"What kind of lead?"

"Hold on. I'll feed it into your computer. Wait for it," Takada told him.

Ichijyo sighed and waited patiently as he stared at his computer monitor. The screen showed the picture that Takada had captured. His eyes widened as he gasped and dropped his cell phone.

"Ichijyo? Ichijyo? Yoohoo! Are ya there man?" Takada's voice came through the phone but Ichijyo wasn't listening.

"Ma…Masaru?" Ichijyo gasped.

To Be Continued…

So the thief has been identified. But who is Masaru and what significance does he have? Stay tune to another chapter of Zodiac Knight Draco: Zodiac Titans. Next up: How did DT's first try at the obstacle course go? Will he display the same abilities as Cy or much more? Keep on reading to find out.


	28. PT028: An Old Friend

Part 28: An Old friend

Shadow was able to get out of the office without any incident whatsoever but he seemed to have a lot on his mind as he made his way to pick up Raven. He just couldn't understand why Masaru had stolen the bike, and what even had him more puzzled was the fact that he was a Zodiac Knight.

Shadow knew for a fact that Masaru was never a Zodiac Knight and wondered why… or how (was a better question) he became a Knight. To him the idea just didn't seem right to him.

But as the Cadillac (The Blue Hound) that he had 'borrowed' from Pluto pulled up in front of the mansion to pick Raven up, he decided to dispense with the thoughts of why and how and pick up on it another time. Raven came in wearing a pitch black top with a dark blue denim skirt and black boots.

As she closed the door the young half-demon noticed that Shadow was wearing a pitch black t-shirt with a cobra logo on the front and matching black jean and shoes.

She leaned towards him to give Shadow a peck on the cheek before they drove off. While they were driving though Shadow's thoughts returned to the thief.

He still could not believe that Masaru was the thief; he refused to believe it because he knew him better than most people, almost as good as…

"Shadow? Something wrong?" asked Raven cutting into his thoughts. She had seen that he was a little distracted by something, but she couldn't figure out what it was.

Shadow came to a stop light as he shook his head and said, "We just found out who the thief is but I'm really skeptical of it if it is who I think it is." Raven raised an eyebrow, she was about to ask why when he cut off, "I'll tell you tomorrow. I have to be able to shift through my thoughts on this."

Raven nodded, deciding to accept the answer. She knew that if Shadow wanted to tell her he would so she decided it best not to push the subject.

However, as she decided to leave it be, she felt a very familiar presence at the location they were going to. She couldn't figure out who it was at first before she remembered an old friend she had been with before her time with the Titans.

'_He still is just a friend… isn't he?'_

In the Gothic Club there seemed to be very loud gothic music playing. There were many people there either dancing or just sitting alone as they preferred to be that way.

However one man seemed to have drawn a rather small crowd of female Goths. They all seemed to want him to dance with him but all he just did was wave them off as if he didn't care.

'_If only these idiots knew how dangerous it was to have a relationship with me, they would avoid me like the plague,'_ thought the young man who was about eighteen years old. He had muscular visage under his dark blue muscle shirt, a black trench coat and pitch black jeans along with a black fedora hat and dark sunglasses hiding his eyes completely.

He didn't understand why it was like this, every time he came to a city there would be girls that would always try and get his attention especially in clubs like this. It wasn't that he didn't find any of them attractive; some of them were drop dead gorgeous to some people.

But with the constant hounding of his enemies he could not afford to have a relationship with anyone, period.

But his thoughts were interrupted by a familiar presence. He wasn't sure who it was at first but then an image came to his mind, '_I haven't seen her in a long time.'_

Shadow and Raven had got into the club and they saw various people in dark clothing either dancing or just sitting by themselves.

However, as Raven entered, she felt that the presence was much stronger now. She decided to ignore the presence since she was here because of Shadow and if she was going to confront a long time friend, she'd probably end up having conflicting feelings for the two of them.

Shadow noticed that something was on her mind but also something was on his. His thoughts had shifted to a familiar presence but he knew exactly who it was. Only it would be strange see him after not meeting him for so long. Then again, Draco wouldn't feel the same towards this new arrival.

Indeed the two of them were always at each others throats, or rather he always knew how to push Draco's buttons and get him in a foul mood. However, he doubted that Draco would want a repeat of the beating he had received from last time.

But this was Draco and, knowing him, it would be a likely bet that history would repeat itself.

The couple was about to dance until the walls were plowed through and creatures that much resembled the Orcs from Warcraft came bursting out of holes, except these were red and not green.

Immediately the entire club began to file out as people began to scream and yell as they ran for the exits. However, the creatures did not bother with going after the other people. No, they had a particular goal in there mind.

"What the hell are those things!" yelled Shadow but deep down he didn't really care. All he wanted to do right now was to cause as much physical pain to these cretins as possible for ruining his night out.

He got his Zodiac deck out and he yelled, "Zodiac Force! SNAKE!"

It was a good thing he brought his deck with him. He thought that he would have to face Masaru but instead he had to deal with these freaks.

Shadow became engulfed in energy until it hardened into his armor.

The orc-like creatures just looked at Shadow for a moment before beginning their search again.

This was it for Shadow. Even though he could control his temper he didn't like being ignored nor regarded as if he wasn't a threat at all.

He was about to attack before a fist made of shadows came out of the ground and slammed into the place where the red Orcs were. Most jumped out of the way but a few didn't make it and were crushed completely.

A figure began to rise out of the floor as some shadows began feeding his form. When he emerged he began to speak, "You came for me right? Well, come and get me, unless you value your lives."

The creatures were hesitant at first knowing what this man could do but those thoughts were quickly stomped away as a vision of what their master would do to them if they failed.

One charged forwards raising its club however as it brought the club down, the figure dodged as his trench coat waved in the air slightly before he went into a spinning kick to the side of the head sending the creature into the ground face first.

The others charged in immediately afterwards but were stopped in their tracks as the figure raised his hand. They preparing for battle but instead he took off his sunglasses revealing pale pure white eyes.

Immediately his clothes became a liquid like black as they began to shift. His pants changed from a pitch to dark blue with bright orange and red dark flames on the side. Around his waist was a black leather belt with a silver belt buckle. His black muscle shirt changed into a yellow symbol with a black center held by four bright orange straps leaving his toned abs and chest for all to see. His trench coat that went down to his ankles began to shrink until the end of it was just below his waist and with no sleeves. The color changed from pitch black to a matching dark blue like his pants and the bottom of the sleeveless jacket were bright orange flames that went around to the other side. Two dark blue fingerless gloves seemed to appear where his hands were along with bright wrist bands connecting them. To top the look off, his hat slithered down to his face wrapping itself around it and covering his neck like a mask as it changed bright orange.

The man looked back and saw both Shadow and Raven, "Shadow, it's been a long time."

Shadow nodded and said, "Like wise."

He looked at Raven and then said, "Allow me to take out the trash Raven."

He turned and dodged as one of the Orcs came in with a rusted blade. He ducked under the next swing and as he did he plunged his hand into the ground and pulled out some kind of black blade that was shifted from the Shadows and began to combat them.

Shadow decided to sit by and let him handle all of this. Apparently he wouldn't allow himself to take on all of these idiots if he didn't know what he was doing. He then asked Raven, "How do you know Ekelo?"

Raven was a bit startled by the question but answered still, "I knew him before I met the Titans."

Indeed, she had traveled with Ekelo for half a year due to the fact that these idiots thought the two of them to be allies. Over the time she had become close to Ekelo and their fates were very similar.

Like Raven, Ekelo was bound by a prophecy that would cause him to end the world, but what she couldn't fathom was why both of the prophecies seemed to have conflicted.

But during their travels she had developed a bond between herself and the half-demon. She had grown close to him and had even confessed her feelings for him as well. However he did not return them saying that he felt no such thing for Raven other than friendship.

But then again, Ekelo hardly ever trusted anybody and being called a friend was possibly the closest she could be to him. She eventually got over him after sometime with the Titans and during the relationship with Shadow she nearly all but forgotten about him.

But now seeing him here had seemed to have rekindled something and she was beginning to feel the same thing she felt for Shadow towards Ekelo.

Shadow noticed this but didn't say anything. There was a bit of jealousy, but he knew it must have been past feelings and nothing more. However, he was cut off of his thinking as a group of the reddish Orcs began to turn their gaze to both Shadow and Raven as some of them began to charge.

Raven got into a stance as Shadow did the same, preparing to fight.

Shadow dodged a blow by ducking and retaliated as he clubbed the Orc with the blunt end of his scepter. The creature staggered a bit until he began to attack again by bringing an upwards swing with its club.

To Be Continued…

Who is Ekelo? How does he know Raven? How does Ekelo know the Knights? Why are these orcs attacking them? Stay tunes next time for the next exciting chapter of Zodiac Knight Draco: Shadows of The Past.

Ekelo is a property of Devan (Dr.Evans)


	29. PT029: The Lieutenant

Part 29: The Lieutenant.

The blow hit Shadow causing him to go soaring backwards until he caught himself with his telekinesis. Several Orcs came charging towards Shadow until the Knight of Invisibility became his namesake by becoming thus.

The Orcs stopped clearly confused by the sudden disappearance of the Snake Knight. But soon one of them was hit by an invisible blow making it stagger into one. The other got angered and shoved it to the side which caused it to crash into another.

Now arguing with each other, Shadow used the distraction to reappear. "What fools," he muttered before he jumped into the air. He took a card from his belt and yelled, "Sword Vent: Snake Coil Saber!" before sliding it into his scepter.

The group of Orcs looked up only to have one of their own cut in half from top to bottom. One Orc came forward and tried to stab him with a spear. However, Shadow parried the strike and stabbed the Orc in the chest. He took the sword out, causing blood to spurt out of the wound, just missing the Snake Knight. He turned around and ducked under a decapitating blow by an Orc who was wielding a broadsword. Shadow spun around in a three hundred and sixty degree angle as he brought his saber up in a right diagonal upwards slash cutting the Orc from his waist through his chest and stopped there as he pulled the blood coated blade out of his chest to jump over an arrow that had been aimed at his feet.

An Orc came at Shadow again while in the air thinking that he would be easy prey but the Snake Knight struck his foot out in a spinning kick. Another arrow was fired at the Snake Knight, but using his blade he deflected the arrow.

Several Orcs started to attack Raven but she was able to dodge from side to side using some acrobatics that she had developed during training. Because of it, it made her a very difficult target to hit.

She dodged a blow from an Orc that tried a jabbing strike with a poisoned tip blade. Raven threw herself backwards using her powers to gain some distance between herself and her opponents. Once she was far enough, her hands began to glow an obsidian black as she chanted, "Azerath Metrion Zinthos!"

All of their weapons began to glow black as they were wrenched from their hands. Raven turned their weapons around and impaled them with their own weapons.

She caught some movement from out of the corner of her eye and saw a rather large Orc burst through the door, carrying on its shoulders Pluto's Cadillac. It chucked the vehicle at Raven but she was able to catch it via her powers as the vehicle became engulfed in the obsidian aura and was tossed back at the Orc. The car came into a collision course with the creature. The vehicle was then slammed against a wall, crushing the Orc underneath. Raven commented, "I hope Pluto has that thing insured."

Ekelo had two broadswords in each hand that were melded from the shadows themselves and was fighting and blocking blow for blow from his multiple enemies.

It was strange that the majority of the Orcs seemed to be concentrating on Ekelo. But then again, Ekelo knew better and that he knew that he was not to be killed. However, he knew that most of them would like to cause him pain so he decided to do the same to them as he ducked and rolled away from a strike aimed at his abdomen.

Ekelo struck his foot out, tripping an Orc which caused it to fall and take another with it. Two Orcs came at Ekelo, both wielding a strange blade in each hand.

Ekelo just smirked as he called upon his power as two spiked shadows shot up off of the ground and impaled them.

Ekelo then ducked under a blow from behind that was going to take off his head. While crouched, Ekelo did a backwards jump flip over the Orc. His two broadswords shifted into a dagger-tail before he wrapped the chain around the Orc's neck. When the chain was secured, he pulled it back and causing the edges to cut off the creature's head.

Shadow took a card out of his belt and he inserted it into the head of his scepter, yelling out, "Trick Vent: Shadow Clones!"

Immediately, seven clones of Shadow appeared and they began attacking the Orcs mercilessly, each of them cutting the monsters down with ease and with little problem.

Raven floated upwards as her eyes glowed white. Three Orcs that were about to attack were surrounded by an obsidian aura and were lifted into the air as they were launched backwards and through the concrete wall.

Their weapons on the ground began to glow an obsidian color as they were lifted off of the ground. Raven turned her head to the side as she saw three more Orcs charging towards her. She jerked her head to the side as the weapons flew through the air and impaled all of them, making the Orcs fly backwards and landing in an odd angle.

Ekelo spun his dagger-tail around as the Orcs began to close in on him. He did a one handed sideways cartwheel spin as he used his arms to propel himself through the air.

Ekelo landed in a crouched position. The dagger-tail then flew apart as they jettisoned towards his enemies and began to rip through their flesh and bones.

Ekelo turned around into a spinning kick aimed at an Orc's head. The kick connected as it sent the creature to the floor but not before Ekelo's other foot flew upwards hitting him in the face causing him to fly backwards into a group of four Orcs.

Raven was forced into hand-to-hand combat with an Orc. She performed a round house kick to the head of her opponent. It made the Orc stagger backwards until it righted itself and struck with its club with a downwards strike. Raven rolled out of the way as the club hit the cement and as it did, several cracks formed from the impact.

Raven looked back and made a mental sigh as she was glad that she wasn't caught under that blow.

* * *

At the Smart Brain Corporation public garage where all of the cars and vehicles that the staff drove were parked; Blackfire, Draco and Jinx were standing while Pluto was pulling at his hair as he was standing before an empty parking space that once had his, now missing, Cadillac, "I can't believe Ichijyo took my car!"

"You did raid our clothes from our rooms without asking Takada. Did you really think he was going to let that go without some revenge?" said Draco as he shook his head at Pluto's attempt at pulling at his hair.

"Yeah, and you're acting as bad as Cy when it comes to his car," Jinx added.

Pluto slumped his shoulders; they had been given some time off and were going to take their girlfriends to a nice restaurant to get something to eat.

Blackfire ended up giving Pluto a small kiss as she said, "Ah, don't worry about it. Besides, I'm sure there's another way to get us there."

Pluto began to look up, that was until his cell phone rang. He reached into his pocket and pulled it out turning it on, "Takada here."

On the other line an older woman's voice came from the other line. It was Prof. Murata, "Takada, we've got some trouble."

"What kind? Mirror Monsters or our thief?" asked Pluto as he bore a serious expression on his face.

If the thief was emerging this was the chance to catch him, but if it were mirror monsters then they would have to stop the creatures.

"Neither. Apparently a group of strange looking creatures have been spotted attacking the Night and Die Club. Everyone ran out of there in a panic, but Ichijyo and his girlfriend, Rachel, are in there fighting them off and some kind of masked man is fighting with them."

Pluto had a shocked expression on his face as he tried to remember any masked vigilantes. None seemed to have come in mind but just then he remembered someone and he wondered…

"What does he look like?"

"Well we haven't exactly got a good ID of the person but from what we could get is that he seems to have pure white eyes."

Well that certainly confirmed it. It was Ekelo and he was helping Raven and Shadow with these creatures. However, they would probably need help because where Ekelo was always attacked, a Lieutenant was not too far behind. Then again, it would probably be best to not go, since Draco would most likely end up attacking Ekelo again and the half demon would have to beat him into the ground again.

"White eyes; that better not be who I think it is."

But, unfortunately for Pluto, Draco had already heard and by the tone of his voice he still remembered how much he was insulted. Also Draco probably wanted to pay Ekelo back for hurting his pride.

* * *

The ground was littered with the dead bodies of the Orcs as well as their blood. Ekelo was standing as his sickles that were formed out of the shadows began to slither down his arms and into the shadows from whence they came.

He looked over to Raven and Shadow before looking around the area. He spotted a table and a few chairs that were tipped over and strangely not damaged at all.

He motioned for the two to come towards him as he went over to the overturned table and set it right side up. He positioned three chairs at the table as Shadow and Raven walked up to him.

Ekelo looked down at his feet and saw a bottle of Vodka that was strangely untouched and unopened. He reached down and picked it up before unscrewing the cork and offered Raven a bit, "No thanks."

He moved to offer a bit to Shadow before he declined saying, "I'm under age."

Ekelo just shrugged as he took a swig of the alcoholic beverage. He then tossed it behind him as he looked unaffected by the drink. He pulled up a chair behind him and sat down before saying, "Haven't seen both of you in awhile."

He said it with an emotionless tone but there was hint of surprise, even though it was almost unnoticeable.

"Yeah, well I've joined the Titans a couple of years ago," said Raven as she too pulled up a chair and sat down. She was somewhat excited to see an old friend and this was very noticeable in her voice.

Ekelo raised an eyebrow at the sudden release of emotion and was expecting something to either melt or blow up, but nothing did.

He was about to voice his question until Shadow answered for him, "She's wearing a pendant that allows her to feel emotions without having her powers become unstable."

Ekelo just shrugged before asking a question that was directed at Shadow, "So, how do you two know each other?"

"We're on the same team. I also have a relationship with her."

"What kind?"

Ekelo did not express anything but curiosity in his voice and nothing could be sensed by Shadow of any emotions that would signify jealousy or envy so he decided to answer, "I'm her boyfriend. Now how do you know Raven?"

However, when Shadow asked his question, there was slight trace of jealousy in his voice that was still noticeable. Ekelo smirked under his mask as he said, "Is that jealousy I hear in your voice?"

There was a bit of amusement in his tone but not much else.

Shadow glared at him saying, or hissing, "Just answer the question."

Ekelo just shrugged before complying with an answer, "We traveled together for about half a year. We were somewhat forced to do so seeing as how Molock seemed to have the most incompetent help. His idiotic minions though that me and Raven were allies and attacked us both when we were seen together. It took some convincing on my part but I was able to get her to travel with me since at the time the most stupid demons in Hell thought we were allies. After that we parted ways and haven't seen each other since."

Shadow was about to ask another question until the doors swung open to reveal Jinx, Draco, Blackfire, and Pluto. Each of them had there battle outfits on and were poised, ready for a battle, only to be greeted with the sight of over two hundred dead bodies of the enemy sprawled all over the place.

The group got out of there battle stances as they saw Ekelo, Raven and Shadow at a table sitting on chairs like the whole fight never happened.

They were about to go over towards them until a giant section of the wall burst forward to reveal a huge creature that stood at twelve feet tall. It looked much

It looked much like the red Orcs that three were fighting except it had dark blue skin. It was carrying what looked like some kind of giant blade that was twice its size and had a variety of weapons strapped to his back, all of them deadly looking.

Ekelo got up in a bored fashion as he said, "Didn't I kill you three months ago Lt. Kerka?"

The giant creature, now identified as Kerka, growled in a deep voice as he spoke, "This time you will not escape me boy. You will serve my master and complete the prophecy."

"I would rather have to smell your breath than do my _father's_ bidding. Speaking of your vulgar breath, when was the last time you brushed?"

Ekelo had said the word father as if it was the vilest word within the planet. He despised his father with every fiber of his being. It was because of him that he existed to bring about the will of the left hand of Lucifer.

No longer wanting to be insulted by this half demon child, Kerka picked up his blade and charged forward. He was ordered by Molock to bring Ekelo in alive, but he said nothing about causing some pain to him.

To Be Continued…

This chapter was written by Dr. Evans and edited by Chromedragozoid.

The characters Shadowcobra, Pluto and Draco belong to me while Ekelo and Liutenant Kerka belong to Dr. Evans.


	30. PT030: Double Threat

Part 30: Double Threat

Cyborg let out a loud battle cry as he blasted several of the flying drones with his sonic cannon, finishing the obstacle course. His record was 57 seconds. "Booyah!" he cheered.

Next up was Star and her record was 58 seconds.

Beast Boy came up after her with a record of 1.47 seconds.

Terra went up after BB and held the record of 45 seconds.

"Beat your record again Cy," the young blonde geomancer grinned proudly.

"Heh, heh. You only got lucky T," the bionic teen made an excuse.

"Alright DT," Robin said over from the console, "You're up next? Are you ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," DT mumbled, adjusting his gloves and cracking his neck His exact thoughts were, _How_ _in the Pit did I ever get talked into doing this?_ After witnessing the ferocity of the obstacle course, he was unsure of how he would fare, considering that Terra was the master of the rocky route. He did a few stretching exercises to get his mind off his worries.

The objective was simple: Get from Point A (Start) to Point B (Finish). Unfortunately, the course would not make it easy for the person to do so.

DT made one final adjustment; his goggles. The dual colored lenses glinted under the sun. NOW he was ready. He took in a deep breath and frowned, concentrating. All the while, he heard the Titans cheering.

"You can do it friend DT!" Starfire shouted.

"You the man!" BB added.

"Just show them how machines do it!" Cyborg hollered through cupped hands.

"It's not that hard Double-Trouble!" Terra threw up her fist.

DT couldn't help but let out a small grin. The count down began.

3…

DT went into a ready-to-run position.

2…

DT took in another deep breath to calm his nerves.

1…

DT breathed out and eyed the course with narrowed his.

0…

His goggles seemed to glow in the sunlight. The lenses shone red and purple respectively.

GO!

DT made a mad dash and sprinted across the field. When the stone walls rose up to block him, he leapt over them effortlessly or he maneuvered around them as not to ram into them. His speed was incredible as was his reflexes.

Next the pillars with laser guns in them activated, firing shots at him. DT panicked, for a second, before jumping away and avoiding each of the shots. The cybernetic enhancements must have something to do with his uncanny speed and reflexes.

However, he did not know how to get past all of them.

He then had an idea.

"Hey! You can't even shoot the broad side of an elephant!" he teased at the guns, blowing a raspberry. He then zipped around, causing the guns to shoot one another, destroying themselves. The alien cyborg smiled triumphantly. "Too easy."

The finish line, and the white flag, we're dead in his sights. With a smile, he ran up towards it. However, Robin was not going to make it THAT easy for him and typed in another command into the console.

The ground rumbled and from it rose up a ten foot tall robot with a cybernetic eye in the centre of its body, large bulky legs and arms, and sharp claws.

DT's only reaction was, "HOLY SLAG!"

The robot slammed both of its fists down on DT but the young newbie rolled away. The force of the impact left a sizable crater in the spot where DT had been standing on moments ago.

He yelled out accusingly, "Are you people trying to slaggin' kill me?"

Robin shrugged and replied, "The objective is to expect the unexpected, DT. Oh, and watch out."

"Huh?" DT whirled around and saw that the eye in the centre of the mech's body was glowing. "Oh no!" he fell on his back from the immense tremor the mech made when it moved.

The mech sent out a laser blast dead set on DT and he could only cross his arms in an attempt to block the damage he was about to receive. It was at that time that his bracelets crossed and IT happened.

_FLASH_!

There was an explosion of blue light, forcing the Titans to shield there eyes from the immense glare. However, the mech was undeterred and fired at DT.

Only to have half of its body blown away by an unforeseen blast.

The Titans opened their eyes and, when the smoke and light cleared, gasped.

Standing in DT's place was a very powerful looking robotic warrior, clad in technologically advanced armor. The armor covering his torso was a bright silver color, reflecting the light of the sun. Red armor covered up his legs and arms. On his back was jetpack with dual rifles on top. A silver helmet concealed his head and a blue visor ran over his eyes.

The robot, though heavily damaged, continued to swings its large bulky fists around. The armor clad warrior merely grabbed the wayward fists and ripped the arms right off their sockets. Cyborg winched, "That's gotta hurt."

The robot sparked erratically and that was when the armored warrior raised both his hands, revealing twin laser blasters on his wrists. He then opened fire on the mech, letting loose blue laser fire, reducing it to nothing but scrap. The mech staggered back as laser fire rained upon it. The armored warrior then bent down and, combined with his wrist blasters, shot at the mech, repeatedly, with the laser rifles on his back. The battle mech fell back, blowing up in a powerful display of pyrotechnics, sending flaming and charred parts flying in all directions. After his deed was done, he walked up to the flag and claimed it.

With a flash, the armor disappeared, revealing a tired, yet happy, looking Double-Trouble.

"So, how did I do?" he smiled at them. "Sorry if I overdid it, though."

The Titans stared at him, eyes bugging out and jaws dropping to the ground.

Robin checked the timer and gasped.

DT had finished the course in 44 seconds.

A second less than Terra.

Robin stuttered, still recovering, "You…you…did great…DT."

The Titans all recovered and cheered. Starfire flew up to DT and hugged him, "How marvelous! You have, how you say, Aced the course!"

"Thank you, Starfire," DT smiled, before suddenly gasping for air from the force of her embrace and his face began turning and oddly sick shade of blue, "Starfire! I need AIR!"

The little spunky Tamaranean girl did not notice, however, the symbols etched on her new friend's bracelets. His left bracelet was etched with a red symbol that looked like a wolf's face with pointed ears and whiskers. The right bracelet held a purple symbol of a demonic face.

It was the symbol of the Deathtrons.

* * *

Copycat yawned as she leaned against a stone pillar. She was in a lab. To be more specific, it was ARMS' lab/workroom. The Zodiac Knight of Taurus was in his armor and was working on something lying on a steel slab. Sparks flew as he worked on his project with a blowtorch. 

"Are you done yet, Grant?' Copycat asked, becoming quite impatient.

"Oh, shut up, Kat!" ARMS snapped, "This is a delicate procedure and I need to concentrate!"

"On what?" Copycat scoffed, "That piece of junk?"

"This 'piece of junk' will become one of the greatest weapons we'll have against the Titans."

Copycat rolled her eyes under her helmet, "Yeah, yeah," she said, mockingly. "Grant, let me remind you that this was the same bot you beat at the stadium."

"I know,' ARMS replied. It was true. The special project that ARMS had been working on was Atlas himself. The titanic robot gladiator lay deactivated before ARMS with most of its armor gone and ARMS was busy reconstructing the android.

In three glass cylinders filled with water were the bodies of Cinderblock (his pieces at least), Plasmus (human form) and Overload (weakened form). Copycat went over and stared at the bodies of the three monsters that have failed Slade countless times. "And I thought Slade had these guys executed," Copycat crossed her arms.

"Father did. However, he somewhat needs them back. Since they are four of us, I am guessing, he wants each of us to get one as a partner of sorts," ARMS said, as he put down the tool he had been using and picked up another one.

"I guess you have dibs on Atlas, huh?" Copycat said, rubbing her chin armor. She walked passed the three stasis cylinders. Which would she choose?

_Plasmus?_ She thought, looking at the sleeping face of the human sludge creature. She shook her head_, Too gross!_ She eyed Overload, and shook her head, _No way._ She still had issues with electricity since she almost got hit by lightning that one time. _Cinderblock…_? She squinted and stared at the pile of rubble that was once the rock behemoth, _I guess you have to do. I need some strong grunt to watch my back and not want to smack or pinch it._

Copycat leaned over ARMS' shoulder. Atlas was nearly completely repaired. Some new components had been installed and a built in weapons system had been integrated into the robot. It now had self healing and mass changing capabilities from the cybertronic technology she had given ARMS courtesy of a Lil Diablo toy she still kept since Dr. Drakken attempted to take over the world last spring. She always had a thing for Bueno Nacho. Her favorite was the Naco.

"The only good idea Monkey boy ever had," she mumbled. She eyed the sharp S on some of the parts as well as on Atlas' head, identifying him as now a property of Slade. The same Slade symbol had been added onto Copycat's armor as well as the three other members of Team Tartarus. She grinned. Stealing the three decks from under Yoshido's nose before she got kicked out of the Guild was the perfect payback. "That shows him not to mess with the Cat."

"Do you mind?" ARMS said to his team leader. "You're getting too close and I need the space."

Copycat threw up her hands, "Alright, I'll leave you be." She backed away towards the door. "Come on, Jasmine." She commanded. The cat leapt out of its sleeping place in the room and into its mistress' arms, but not before giving ARMS a threatening glare. ARMS felt this and shivered before rubbing his armor covered butt. He could still feel those claws there from the last time he pissed Copycat off.

"I'll never make another comment about a woman's cycle ever again, especially near her," he swore to himself before continuing on with his work.

* * *

Copycat walked down the stairs. She deactivated her armor. Jasmine was curled up in her arms as she stroked the little feline's furry body. She sighed. Slade had gone out of town on evil business again. Rose and Joey had gone out to have some fun at the park. Kat, however, had to stay to keep an eye on things, mainly the special project involving Plasmus, Overload, Cinderblock and Atlas. 

Being Slade's apprentice was not just fun and games. Sometimes it was just damn boring.

She cried, "It's not fair!"

"What isn't?" Kat jumped at hearing Wintergreen's voice.

She heaved, "Don't scare me like that, Wintergreen!"

"I apologize, Miss Hasuma. I did not realize that you were in deep thought."

Kat sighed, "That's okay, Wintergreen. I just wasn't paying much attention." The butler nodded. Kat smiled. The old butler, she had come to love like a grandfather of sorts. _More than my own grandfather_. She scowled. _He always glorified little Ryuki and paid the most attention to him, grooming him to be heir of the Dojo!_ She narrowed her eyes, _I'll show them! I'm Slade's apprentice now and when I become the greatest criminal mastermind in Jump City, it's Tokyo next, then the entire WORLD!_ She began laughing like a maniac, completely forgetting the fact that Wintergreen was standing close by. He was going to tap her on the shoulder, but decided against it.

It was safer to let her be less she go ballistic.

Kat purred, stroking Jasmine's fur. The little black cat purred in delight as well, "Maybe I should go and rob a jewelry store, or something. Maybe steal something nice for Rose…"

* * *

Meanwhile, in Tokyo, Japan, the other Titans didn't have it that easy. In fact, it was the exact opposite of easy. 

Kerka charged at Ekelo and was upon him with amazing speed. As he did, Raven and Shadow separated while Ekelo stood his ground. The giant blade came down and at the last moment Ekelo rolled to the side as the blade came down upon the floor. Cracks coursed through the floor as they made their way to the wall and as soon as they hit it, the wall explodes open.

Ekelo got his footing after the roll and launched himself at Kerka with a flying sideways kick at his head. The demon staggered sideways as Ekelo landed. The shadows began to slither up his body and in each hand. They soon began to form into a sickle with a ball and chain on the end.

Kerka got his footing as he brought his blade in a right horizontal strike. However he didn't get the chance as he was blasted back by a fireball courtesy of Draco. Draco charged forward saying, "If anyone's going to cause some pain to him it's going to be me!"

As he charged, Draco jumped 15 feet into the air. He took a card out and slid it into his gauntlet saying, "Sword Vent: Dragon Flame Sabre!"

Kerka looked upwards as Draco came down with his blade that was going to cut him in half. He brought his own blade up and the two blades clashed, creating sparks of energy. Kerka's left hand left the hilt of his blade and gripped the leg of the Dragon Knight in his enormous hand before he flung him across the room.

He was about to start attacking Ekelo again before he was being pummeled by purple starbolts courtesy of Blackfire. As Kerka was being pummeled by the form of energy, he put up his arms to block the annoying attack. The starbolts didn't harm him in the least; they were just more of an annoyance.

At that moment Blackfire saw that the attacks were doing no good so she ceased her attack and flew forward with one arm outstretched and the other bent slightly at her side in a Superman flying pose.

Once Kerka put his arms down, Blackfire's fist came crashing into his jaw making him stagger back. The blow stung slightly but did not hurt; it felt more the sting of a bee than real pain; however the blow was strong enough to make him stagger backwards two steps.

Blackfire brought her other fist up for another blow. However, the demon shifted his head to the side slightly as the blow went pass his head barely missing it. At that moment, his right enormous fist came up and hit her in the stomach, knocking the wind out of her. Before she could be sent airborne, the same giant hand gripped her by the leg and slammed her down with as much force that it cracked a couple of the ribs in her body.

Kerka raised his foot in an attempt to stomp the pathetic Tamaranean out of existence so she would never bother him again. But, before he could, Shadow launched a telekinetic blast at him causing the demon to slide back with his feet still planted on the ground.

He shoved his sword into the ground to stop him from sliding backwards. He was successful but Jinx sent a hex blast Kerka's feet causing the ground to crumble under him.

"Have a nice fall," said Jinx. But, before he could fall through the hole, he jumped off of the ground before it collapsed under. He was then heading straight for Jinx.

Kerka raised his blade before he brought it down on Jinx, only to have the ex-villain dodge by leaping to the side. When the blade hit the ground it created a shockwave sending Jinx flying backwards. She was caught by Blackfire in midair but was still driven back into a wall.

Pluto drew his sword and leapt at Kerka, bringing it down on the demon from behind. But, Kerka was able to turn around and intercept the blow before it reached him. Pluto, instead of holding it there, used the momentum to fling himself at Kerka with his foot stretched outwards.

The blow landed on Kerka, making him stagger backwards and causing his vision to blur slightly. Just then he saw the shadows around him were beginning to form and he knew what was happening.

He spun around as he dropped his blade to grab hold of a spike made entirely from the shadows and keep it from impaling him, "Did you really think you can get rid of me with the same method?"

He looked around but saw that it wasn't Ekelo that had made the spike but Shadow. If Shadow was making the spike then where was…?

He was cut off from his thoughts as he felt the tip of a blade imbedded into his back. He grinded his teeth in pain as he broke off half the spike created from shadows. He swung around and he used the spike as a club to bat at whoever was wielding the blade that had sunk into his back, which just happened to be Ekelo.

However, Ekelo ducked just in time and was barely able to dodge. He was set up as Kerka's right foot flew up and came colliding into Ekelo's chest, sending him airborne and he would have hit the ceiling had he not spun his body in a way where his feet came into contact with it. He then propelled himself at Kerka. As he came close towards him, he reared his fist back and slammed it into Kerka's face making him stagger back.

Ekelo landed in a crouched position but he didn't stay that way for long as he jumped up and executed a vicious uppercut that sent the demon flying backwards until he landed.

He got back his footing and looked at Ekelo as all of the others began to regroup, "I see you used a distraction. I'm impressed."

Draco was getting fed up with this so he decided to end it right now, "Well I hope you enjoyed your life, because it's about to end!"

Draco took a card from his deck and inserted it into his gauntlet, "Final Vent!"

Dragonzer flew out of a nearby window and surrounded Draco as he jumped into the air with the dragon following suit. Draco did a flip, spun in the air and extended his right foot at the demon, "Combustion Dragon Kick!"

His foot burst into flames as he came straight at Kerka. But, as he did, the demon put up his blade and intercepted the attack. As Draco's attack collided with Kerka's blade, a reaction occurred, causing sparks of lightning to come forward as a result.

To Be Continued…

ZK Chromedragozoid: This chapter was co-written by me and Dr. Evans. Guess who wrote what.


	31. PT031: Vendetta

Part 31: Vendetta

"Unbelievable…" Rose said. Joey's mouth was wide open. He was utterly speechless (Which was true since he was mute and all).

The two Wilson siblings were in Slade's monitor room, watching the various monitors on the console. Some monitors showed several locations in the city, most notably Titans Tower. It was the primary target of Slade, and Team Tartarus, since it housed the Teen Titans.

Rose didn't really hate the Titans. However, they were the enemy and the thorn to her father's side, the obstacles to his plans and dreams. Out of filial piety, she loyally followed and obeyed. She wanted to prove herself to her father, much like Grant. The same excuse could be used for Joey. He owed it to his father since he saved him from the kidnappers instead and killed them in the process. Joey's voice had been lost since the kidnappers slashed his throat. He would always reach up and touch the faint signs of a scar, which reminded him of what he had lost; his voice. However, the ordeal had allowed his metagene to activate, giving him special powers like telepathy and taking over another's body via eye contact. He laughed silently as he remembered the time he had fun with Grant by taking over his body. It was really a dare made by Kat. Grant was mad as heck, but it was worth it to see the look on his face.

Right now, the brother and sister were watching the monitors that were focused more around Titans Tower. One monitor showed the Titans at the obstacle course. It was the same old thing. Rose glared at Terra, the traitor, with pure loathing. After all her father had done, she had betrayed him, like she betrayed the Titans. Rose will never ever forgive Terra for what she had done. To her, traitors were the lowest of the low and crimes like treachery and betrayal could only be punishable by death.

Back to the monitors, Joey's attention span had been close to being none as he yawned. It was not interesting, to say the least. That is, until he saw someone new. Someone in a black jumpsuit with mismatched shoulder pads, gloves and boots. Someone with messy blue hair and wearing a mask with red/blue tinted lenses. Someone who had just turned into a robot right before his eyes.

This would be interesting and it would be imperative to keep an eye on this teen who called himself Double-Trouble, or DT for short.

Kat walked in and looked up into the monitors and gasped, startling both Rose and Joey. Joey asked ((Kat, what's wrong?))

"Zoom in on that guy's bracelets! Hayaku!" she demanded. Rose pressed buttons on the console that controlled the spy camera-bots located around Titans Tower. One monitor was zooming in on DT's bracelets. Kat narrowed her eyes and mumbled, "Not good."

"What?" Rose asked, "What did you see, Kitty-Kat?"

"Rose…" Kat groaned. Kitty-Kat was the pet-name that Rose liked to use to tease Kat. Joey rolled his eyes. A lesbian couple making out was not something he'd like to see at this time.

Correction: A lesbian couple making out at any time of the day was something he did not was to see, at all, period.

Joey shuddered as he remembered when he and Grant busted through Kat's bedroom door. Actually, Grant was doing the busting while Joey helplessly tagged along. Rose and Kat were in a very…compromising…position… and what followed after was not really pretty, mostly for Grant. Grant was not able to sit down for a week after that 'incident'. Luckily, Kat forgave Joey since he was an innocent bystander. However, she did let him off with a warning. Joey learnt a valuable lesson that day: Never piss off/embarrass a psychotic Copycat, ever, especially when she was trying to relax and have fun.

Kat eyed the monitor intently, "See those bracelets. See any symbols?"

Rose narrowed her eyes. Her eyesight was good, but not as good as Kat's. She struggled and thought she saw two specs, one on each bracelet. One purple and one red. "I'll try zooming in some more." She punched in a command and the monitor zoomed in closer.

The symbols were clear. The purple symbol of the Deathtrons and the red symbol of…

"The Sabretrons…" Copycat hissed

"Sabretrons?" Rose questioned.

((What are you talking about, Kat?)) Joey asked as well.

Kat had a very angry look on her face. Her teeth were gritted, her eyes were narrowed, and her pupils had narrowed to narrow and sharp slits.

Joey whispered into Rose's mind ((I guess Kat has some issues with these Sabretrons…whoever they are…)) Rose nodded in agreement.

"We should keep an eye on this…DT character," Kat said, calming down a bit. She ran her hand through her hair, "Tell me if anything interesting goes on. I want a full report." She then turned around, "I need to blow off some steam…at the training room."

"You're not going to break daddy's androids again, are you?" Rose asked worriedly.

Kat didn't answer and instead walked out of the room, totally without a word of explanation. Joey and Rose were both perplexed at their leader's behavior and looked at each other, shrugging.

_Must be her time of month or something…_ Joey thought. Then again, Kat was usually crazy anyway and she did have insane mood swings.

Correction: Kat was insane, period, 24/7.

Right now, anyone who messed with Kat would most probably get a boot up the ass…or worse.

Like claws through the head or something equally violent involving the cat girl's temperament.

* * *

Kat was in a large empty room shaped pretty much like a dome. She looked up and spoke, "Computer, enter training sequence."

"Training sequence activated," a computerized voice said, "Beginning in T-Minus 3…2…1…0!"

Immediately, a dozen of armed Sladebots leapt out of no where and surrounded the cat Knight. Kat shrugged and took out her Zodiac Deck before shouting out, "ZODIAC FORCE! CAT!" she then rushed at the bots, the obsidian and crimson energy engulfing her body, before solidifying into her Cat armor, turning her into Zodiac Knight Copycat.

The first Sladebot was ready for the scrapheap as she tore its body completely in half with her powerful claws. The rest shot at her with lasers and she did a back flip to dodge. She then muttered, "Mimicry." The cat symbol on her armor glowed and her eyepieces immediately began glowing green. She flew through the air, using Starfire's powers no doubt, and pulverized three more bots with high powered Starbolt blasts.

"4 down, 8 to go," she purred as she landed on her feet. The bots came charging at her from all sides. Her symbol glowed again and she then used Beast Boy's powers, morphing into a large Stegosaurus before using her spiky tail to smash the bots away. He then morphed back to human form and her right arm transformed itself into CDyborg's sonic cannon. She aimed, and fired a concentrated beam of red sonic energy, blasting holes into the bot's torsos. Only one bot remained and she knew what to do. She drew a card and slid it into her card reader, her whip.

"Final Vent!" She drew out her whip and lashed it out, binding the bot tight. The robot struggled as Techno Panther, Copycat's monster partner, leapt out and drove its claws into the android's body, before flinging it at its master. Copycat was ready with her two large Strike Vent Claws.

"DARK NOVA CRASH!" The Cat Knight of Mimicry shouted, before driving her claws right into the robot, destroying it in a cloud of flames. She looked up and said, "Computer, end program," before deactivating her armor, and becoming Neko Katherine Hasuma again.

The doors slid open and she walked out, completely drenched in sweat. She took a towel from the rack and headed towards the showers.

* * *

The warm water felt good on her body as she ran soup all over herself. She purred. Unlike her brother, she simply adored baths. Of course, she adored them more if she was sharing them with a certain someone named after Shadowcobra's favorite flower.

She had pulverized a dozen of Slade's androids to blow off some steam. All because…all because…all because of the symbol she saw on one of DT's bracelets.

"Sabretrons…" she hissed with pure hatred and loathing. It was because of those Sabretrons that her papa…papa was gone.

It was hard to tell if she was crying since her tears were mixed up with the shower water. Of course, the expression of her face showed it. He hair stuck to her face as she stood there, in the middle of the shower. She then sniffled as she ran her hands through her hair.

All she wanted…was her father back…

She really did miss him, a lot.

Thinking of fathers, her mind drifted to Slade. She smiled. Slade was now like her surrogate father, teaching her everything she needed to know to improve her ninja skills and fighting prowess. The black and copper mask hid his face and commanded respect. She couldn't help but follow him. Sure, she didn't respect him at first. But, overtime, his charisma got to her. Slade was one of the few men that she respected and adored.

_If only Slade-sama was a few years younger_, she thought. Kat had never seen Slade without his mask, but merely his pictures on the wall. He was an elderly man, in his late 40s, with silver hair, beard and moustache, and an eye patch covering over his right eye. He looked so…distinguished.

"Okay Kat…rewind a sec. Don't get any crazy schoolgirl fantasies or crushes. You're in love with Rose," she told herself.

Anyway, it was because of the Sabretrons that her papa had died and she swore to have her revenge. And…fate had graciously given her a chance too, starting with Double-Trouble. Her smile turned into a sadistic grin as she thought of the many ways she could administer a torturous death upon the Sabretron.

* * *

Back in Tokyo...

Draco had just activated his Final Vent and went to attack Kerka with it, full force. However, his powerful 'Dragon Combustion Kick' was being blocked by Kerka's large blade. There was a flash of sparks and lightning as Draco continued to push his attack into Kerka, while at the same time, Kerka was pushing back with his large blade.

It was a battle of wills. Draco may have power and experience under his belt, but Kerka had more. Pluto and Shadowcobra saw this before looking at each other and nodding. They both drew out their cards and slid them into their respective card readers.

"Final Vent."

Genosnaker slithered up behind Shadowcobra while Pluto had Cerberus by his side. They

then both both began running at Kerka, followed after by their Zodiac Beasts.

"GENOCIDE CRUSH!" Shadowcobra screamed as he back flipped into the air and was catapulted by his monster by a deadly stream of acid and venom as he legs swung and kicked wildly.

"FROZEN HUNTER!" Pluto leapt up and landed on Cerberus' back. The three headed beast of Hades let out a powerful howl and immediately coated itself and its rider in cold and freezing blue flames. The large blue ball of fire came rushing at Kerka.

Kerka was unable to block the additional Final Vents as they slammed right into him. A huge flash erupted as Shadowcobra and Pluto smashed right into him. Ekelo and the girls watched. Could the Knights have defeated Kerka?

No.

Three individual screams rang through the air as the three Zodiac Knights of the Dragon, Snake and Dog, were sent flying through the air, their armors gone. Shadowcobra was smashed into the rack full of drinks before he landed behind the bar, Pluto was slammed into the ceiling before falling into a few fallen chairs and Draco was hurled back into a wall. Jinx rushed towards him and asked, worriedly, "Baby, are you okay?"

Draco, in his daze, could only say, "Okaasan...I don't wanna go to school today..." Jinx sweartdropped and hugged him.

Shadowcobra was using the bar counter as a support. He was completely drenched in alcoholic beverages. He grumbled incoherently, groaning from the pain as well as he had some glass stuck to his clothes as well.

Pluto, on the other hand, was fine. He had no wounds since he was the Knight of invulnerability. Lucky him.

Raven flew over to Shadow and helped him up.

"Ugh...I hate alcohol," he said with distaste, "I prefer herbal tea anyday."

"After we finish with this guy, then we can have some relaxing tea," Raven suggested. He only nodded and smiled.

Kerka had just gotten angrier and grown more irritated from the Knights (futile) attempt to defeat him. He let out a tremendous roar as he gripped his weapon tight, "You should give up, boy! The master awaits..."

"Never..." Ekelo said, fists gripped tightly, as the shadows swirled around him.

"THEN SO BE IT!" Kerka roared and charged. Ekelo materialized a large battle axe and blocked Kerka's sword with it. The demonic lieutenant just continued to push down on Ekelo, with a large sadistic smile plastered on his face. He then spun his blade around, catching Ekelo's make shift weapon with it, before breaking it to pieces. He then grabbed Ekelo by the legs before throwing him over his shoulder. Expecting to hear the sound of bones breaking, he heard something else.

"Hey ugly!" Blackfire shouted in the air, eyes glowing violet. She had caught Ekelo in her arms before putting him down, "Forget about us?"

"You should really watch your back..." Draco said, fists ablaze.

"Because if you mess with one of us..." Pluto said, cracking his fists as electricity crackled around his fingers.

"You mess with all of us..." Jinx purred dangerously, eyes flashing pink.

"So be prepared..." Raven threatened, eyes blazing white.

"Thank you..." Ekelo said.

Shadowcobra nodded before he took his stance in front of his friends and teammates before, "Because the Teen Titans are going to bring you down, hard..."

"So you fools wish to die? SO BE IT!" Kerka before charging.

Shadowcobra then shouted out, "TITANS! CHARGE!"

To Be Continued…

Character Bios

**THE GAMEMASTERS**

The Gamemasters are a group of Zodiac Knight who use gaming themes when fighting their opponents. They are made up of the Zodiac Knights representing the Ox, Sheep, Rat, and Rooster.

**Zodiac Knight Toros**

Zodiac Animal: The Ox

Zodiac Power: Super Strength

Zodiac Beast: Bullhorn

Motto: "We will stomp you!"

Bio: The self proclaimed leader of the Gamemasters. He's really just a muscle-bound bully with a superiority complex. He lets his fists do the talking.

**Zodiac Knight Astra**

Zodiac Animal: The Sheep

Zodiac Power: Astral Projection

Zodiac Beast: Ramulus

Motto: "Be spirited away, and never come back."

Bio: The voice of reason within the Gamemasters and Toros' sister. Unlike her brother, she prefers to use psychological warfare compared to brutish methods.

**Zodiac Knight Vermin**

Zodiac Animal: The Rat

Zodiac Power: Motion to the motionless

Zodiac Beast: Rattor

Motto: "It's alive! Alive!"

Bio: A rat. Vermin has been known to cheat to get money. An avid player of gambling games, his luck has never failed him. Only against Shadowcobra and Copycat does his luck run out on him. He is proud for his place at the top of the Chinese Zodiac. Unfortunately, and shamefully, he doesn't live up to the name.

**Zodiac Knight Dagger**

Zodiac Animal: The Rooster

Zodiac Power: Levitation

Zodiac Beast: Cockatrice

Motto: "Cockfight time!"

Bio: He is, in all senses, a chicken. He never fights fair and when the odds are stacked up against him, he turns tail as quick as a flash.

Currently, their human identities are unknown. However, their human forms may be seen in the near future.

ZK Chromedragozoid: Kerka thought it would be easy to take down some teenagers, right? He forgot that he wasn't facing the normal average kind, but superheroes. Not just any superheroes, but the Teen Titans, plus Ekelo. Hope that after this, Kerka is going to learn one valuable lesson:

Never underestimate your opponents. They might just surprise you.

Disclaimer: The Teen Titans are property of DC and Warner Bros. The Zodiac Knights are my idea. Ekelo and Lt. Kerka are property of one talented Dr. Evans.


	32. PT032: Animosity

Part 32: Animosity

7 super powered teenagers; A Vampangel, two half demons, an alien, a witch, a mad scientist, and a pyrokinetic charged forward. Charging towards _them _was a big blue orc demon, armed to the teeth with weapons strapped to his back and carrying a wicked broadsword, twice his size. He roared as he swung his blade out.

"Titans!" Shadow shouted, "Scatter!"

The teens easily dodged. The fliers (Blackfire, Raven and Shadowcobra) taking the left flank while the non fliers (Draco, Jinx, Pluto and Ekelo) took the right flank.

"It's been awhile, hasn't it, firebreather?" Ekelo mocked Draco.

"Not long enough I'm afraid," Draco growled back. He fixed his goggles and began powering up several fireballs. "Just stay out of the way, or get burnt."

Kerka roared and went towards the group with Ekelo in it. He swung his sword down, but was blocked by a force field of some sort. Looking down, at his feet, he saw that there was a small circular blue disc with a P emblem in the centre. He smashed his weapon and fists against the force field, but it wouldn't break. Pluto grinned.

"Like it?" Pluto mocked, "One of my latest inventions. A containment field that surrounds and traps the opponent. Pretty neat, huh?"

"I'm impressed, mutt," Shadow complimented, despite himself.

Suddenly, Kerka's body glowed blue and he let out a loud roar, shattering the force field and short circuiting the generator, before stomping it flat with his large foot. Pluto gulped.

"I take what I said back," Shadow said, seeing the device fail.

"I tire of these games!" Kerka shouted, clearly annoyed. He reached behind his back and pulled out a vicious looking double edged battleaxe. He then hurled it towards Pluto. Pluto stood stationary before a black and silver blur grabbed him into the air. He looked up and saw Blackfire. He smiled, "Thanks Black."

"No matter how immortal you _think_ you are, don't tempt fate!" she scolded, eye glowing violet with anger.

"Okay!" he apologized and then looked down. Suddenly, an idea hit him. "Black! Drop me on his back!"

"You sure?" she asked.

"Positive! Now!" the flying girl let go and Pluto dropped and grabbed onto Kerka's back. Karka thrashed around, trying to get the dog Knight off his back.

"How's about some electroshock therapy?' Pluto grinned before pressing his hands against the side of the blue Orc's head. He then sent thousand upon thousand of volts of electricity into the beast, letting everyone see his skeleton as he lit up like a bulb. Kerka then grabbed Pluto before smashing him against the ground. The dog Knight groaned.

Draco was hurling fireballs at Kerka, but with little affect on the demonic blue Orc. He just ignored the flame blasts as he advanced towards Raven and Ekelo. Draco then turned to attack him with a vicious flying kick, but had his leg grabbed before being hurled into the bar.

Raven chanted, eyes glowing white, "Azerath, Metrion, Zinthos!" Pluto's wrecked Cadillac, several chairs and tables, and a few other things lying about the room became engulfed in black energy, before throwing themselves, with Raven's help, towards the beast. Kerka was not able to react fast enough, and was buried under the pile of stuff.

"My turn!" Jinx grinned and hurled a hex at the pile, blowing it up.

"Was that my car?" Pluto barked.

"Sorry," Raven apologized, "If its any consolation, it went to better use."

Pluto dropped to his knees and cried out, "WHY?"

"Don't start crying, Dog, and don't start celebrating. Knowing Kerka, he's not dead yet," Ekelo said.

Suddenly, the pile began to move. Kerka then erupted out of it, roaring with rage. He leapt down, sword held high, ready to hack anything that stood in his way.

"You just had to say that, didn't you?' Raven commented.

Shadow and Ekelo stared at each other, hands glowing black. Shadow shouted, "NOW!"

Two black fists, created from the shadows, erupted from the ground and slammed into Kerka, hard and violently. The demonic Lt. was sent flying right out of the night club. The Titans, plus Ekelo, then followed after him.

Kerka shook his head and growled. He reached behind his back and pulled out a pair of large stone clubs, ready to bash a few heads open, preferably teenagers. He looked around drawing the stares of a few passersby and let out a roar that shook the city. The citizens screamed and ran around, in a panic.

"Just great," Shadow muttered sarcastically, "And all I wanted was a normal night out."

"Since when has anything been normal with us?" Draco told him.

"Point taken my friend," Shadow said.

Kerka saw the teens and roared, "PREPARE TO DIE HUMAN SCUM!"

"To remind you, I'm not human," to emphasize her point, Blackfire went high into the air and shot a few starbolts at him. Kerka blocked with his clubs before chucking one at her, at high speed. A large black claw grabbed it before hurling it back at him. He grabbed it back and glared. It was Raven's doing.

Kerka chuckled, "So, it seems that half blood scum stick together."

"Don't you dare talk about Raven like that!" Shadow hissed before charging at Kerka. He punched Kerka across the jaw. A fang actually got spat out as Kerka focused his red eyes at Shadow. He dropped his club and grabbed him around the neck. He then began sniffing him and was puzzled.

"You're a half blood…but you're not hu-" he was interrupted, however, by a surge of electrical energy, dropping Shadow in the process. Kerka slowly turned to see Pluto blasting out lightning from his hands.

"_Shocking_, isn't it?" Pluto joked, "Let's _charge_ it to your account!" Draco groaned.

"Pluto, you've been hanging around Beast Boy way too much," Draco commented as he powered up a large fireball above his head. He turned to Jinx and then up to Blackfire, "Girls! Cross powers!"

Blackfire nodded and readied a violet starbolt. Jinx was hesitant, but her eyes glowed pink as she summoned a pink fireball in her hand. Pluto was distracting Kerka with his electricity, freezing him at the spot.

"NOW!" Draco roared, hurling the fireball. Blackfire shot her starbolt and Jinx fired her hex ball. The energy blasts swirled together and slammed into Kerka violently, causing a massive chain reaction. The fire burned his skin and added with the power of Blackfire's starbolt and Jinx's hex, the pain was unbearable for him. Also, he had been partially singed by Pluto's lightning.

Ekelo, Shadow and Raven looked at each other. They grasped each other's hands and then closed their eyes, focusing their demonic energy together. A black halo of energy formed around them, before growing into a black and fiery aura with a white outline. Their eyes then snapped open, glowing completely white.

Kerka's body was smoking and so was the area around him. His clubs were still in tact, but most of his metal based weaponry had been melted, now rendered useless. He growled, angered. With a roar, he charged again.

SMASH!

Only to be plowed into the ground by a large dark energy spike.

Draco winced, "That has got to hurt."

The spike evaporated and what was left was a severely wounded Kerka, with a large hole in the middle of his body. He gurgled greenish blood out of his mouth as he struggled, raising a pointed finger at Ekelo, who was standing around the hole with the rest of the Titans.

"Molock…will get you…" before his body became engulfed with blue flames and disappeared.

"Well," Jinx began, blinking, "That was a little anticlimactic."

"At least he's gone," Blackfire added.

"No," Ekelo said, drawing everyone's attention, "He'll be back. He always comes back."

"Hey, Ekelo!" Pluto said, "It's been awhile."

"Greetings, Pluto," Ekelo's all white eyes turned to stare at Draco. Draco lifted up his goggles and stared back. You could almost cut the tension with a knife. Both Pluto and Shadow knew too well.

This wasn't good.

"I never thought I'd be seeing you again, Ekelo," Draco said with narrowed eyes and gritted teeth.

"Set any fires lately?" Ekelo mocked, making Draco angrier.

"Don't tick me off, Ekelo!" Draco growled.

Shadow sighed before taking out his cell phone. He dialed a number and then put it to his ear, "Prof. Murata, could you please send a clean up crew here, now? Thank you."

"What was that for?" Raven asked.

"To clean up the scene, do repairs, that kind of stuff," Shadow shrugged.

"Very useful," she smiled. Shadow blushed and scratched his node. Ekelo noticed this and Shadow noticed him staring.

"So much for a night off, huh guys?" Pluto said, staring at the wreck that was once his car. He placed his hand on it and, to add insult to injury, his Cadillac, the Blue Hound. fell apart. Pluto's head bowed low as if a loved one had died. He remained silent. Blackfire went to him and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Are you gonna be fine?' Blackfire asked.

"Time heals all wounds," Pluto said, picking up the hood ornament that was in the shape of a dog. "I think I need to be alone." Blackfire kissed him and gave him a compassionate look. She then had an idea in her head. She whispered something into his ear and his masked eyes popped open. He turned to stare at her, "Really?" she nodded. "Okay…I'm healed!" he grinned, wiping his tears away.

Draco and Ekelo hadn't stopped glaring at each other. Jinx noticed this and said, "Do they have history?"

"Yes, unfortunately. The first time they met, they automatically hated each other. Ekelo's the only person Draco can never get along with, ever," Shadow answered.

"Why is that?" Raven asked. For all she knew, Ekelo was very easy to get close to. He was the strong silent type, but still…Maybe it was just her.

"You know Draco is always cheerful. That's why Ekelo doesn't like him," Shadow said.

"And how is that, bad?" Jinx demanded.

"If you know Ekelo like we do," Shadow was talking about himself, Raven, Draco and Pluto "You'll understand."

Draco cracked his knuckles, "I've been waiting for a chance like this for a long time…"

"The same length of time it takes you to eat 100 pieces of sushi," Ekelo retorted.

"That was good sushi!" Draco shouted.

"If you like your breath to smell like raw fish for a week. Did you get your breath cleaned lately, or does it still smell like hellfire and brimstone?" Ekelo egged Draco on.

Sparks flew, and not in the romantic way, as the half demon and the dragon Knight glared heatedly at one another. Red fiery aura surrounded Draco while a black aura and tendrils surrounded Ekelo.

"This is not going to be pretty," Shadow said.

"What was your first clue?" Raven retorted.

Ekelo never liked Draco. Shadow was okay, and so was Pluto, to a degree. Draco, however, annoyed him. Couldn't the dragon Knight understand there was no silver lining and there was no reason to be happy? It seemed not and it just ticked off Ekelo more. He had always disliked people who looked at the bright side of things. The world was an ugly place, in Ekelo's opinion. It was full of greed and corruption and sin wherever you go. Why couldn't Draco understand that?

Because he was a rich boy? That couldn't be it. Shadow was also rich, ran his own company too. At least Shadow was a realist. Draco, well, was raised in a pampered lifestyle with family who loved him and servants serving him on hand and foot. Draco, to Ekelo, was a spoilt brat, if he ever seen one.

Of course, we all know Draco really wasn't spoilt. Too bad Ekelo couldn't see past that.

Jinx decided to play peacemaker and stood between the two boys. She held up a hand against Draco's chest and another one to Ekelo's. Ekelo glared down on her. He HATED to be touched.

"Okay, can we _please_ cease the testosterone war already?" Jinx said.

"Okay Jinx," Draco said slowly, letting his aura fade. Ekelo just saw this and raised an eyebrow.

"So you're now taking order from a girl? How pitiful?" Ekelo just couldn't help but hackle Draco's chain.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?" Draco roared.

"Easy baby!" Jinx pushed at his chest, separating him from Ekelo.

"Baby?" Ekelo couldn't help it. He wanted so much to laugh. "That's right, let mommy tend to your wounds…"

Draco muttered under his breath, "At least I have a mother…"

Uh oh.

Ekelo's eyes snapped wide as he glared hatefully at Draco. Draco really crossed the line now. Shadow had listened and saw shocked. Draco was never that…mean before. What was going on? He took a good look at Draco and the dragon Knight's eyes flashed yellow and red before turning back to normal.

Ekelo pushed Jinx out of the way and grabbed Draco by his scarf, "You've gone too far, Dragon!"

Draco saw Ekelo push Jinx onto the ground and snarled. He slammed his knee into Ekelo, knocking the wind out of him, right before going to Jinx and helping her up. "Are you hurt?" he asked.

"Just scraped a knee," she hissed, "And an elbow."

Draco glared at Ekelo and then lunged at him. Ekelo sidestepped the attack and Draco slammed into the asphalt. Draco then got up and lunged at Ekelo, fingers bent like claws.

"Shouldn't we stop this?" Raven asked, but Shadow shook his head.

"Let them settle it themselves," he told her. "They could never get along, so just let them tire each other out." Both winced as Ekelo socked Draco in the eye.

"Is that wise?" Raven asked, "I've known Ekelo longer and I know he doesn't tire easily." They flinched again when Draco elbowed Ekelo in the gut.

"Neither does Draco," Shadow shrugged. Several black armored trucks with the SB emblem on the doors pulled up into the scene and about half a dozen black clad men jumped out of each. They were SB operatives and the clean up crew. They all bowed to Shadow and proceeded to repair the damage that had been done.

Meanwhile, Draco and Ekelo were trading blows, not even thinking to use their powers. Draco had a split lip and a black eye while Ekelo had a bruise on his chest where Draco had kneed him. Shadow shook his head and groaned. He then told 4 muscular and strong operatives to restrain the two. It took a lot of effort and both Draco and Ekelo were still kicking and screaming at each other.

"JERK!" Draco roared.

"SISSY!" Ekelo shouted back.

"Does this remind you of the way we fight?' Pluto asked, finally recovering from losing his prized Cadillac.

"Scary, isn't it?" Shadow then mounted a black motorcycle, his Shadow Chaser, which the operatives had brought him. He motioned to Raven, "C'mon luv. Let's salvage this night the best we can." He winked. Raven's cheek reddened and she nodded, climbing on behind him. He put on a helmet and passed her one. He revved up the engine and disappeared down the street.

"What about Draco and Ekelo?" Raven asked.

"Let them be…I know for a fact they won't kill each other. They'll tire out before that happens anyway," Shadow smirked, "Some things never change."

"I can agree with you on that," she leaned her head against his back.

Jinx pouted as he sat in the truck while a Jinx treated his wounds. He held a bag of ice over his black eye and Jinx was applying ointment on his busted lip.

"Does that hurt?" she asked. Her knee and elbow had been treated and bandaged up.

"Only my pride," he growled, the ice starting to melt as his temperature rose. "Kamisama, I hate him."

"Ekelo?" Jinx questioned.

"Who else would I be talking about?" Draco hissed as Jinx applied some of the ointment on the scratch he had on his cheek.

"Sorry," she apologized. She then continued, "You really don't like Ekelo, do you?"

Draco was silent before answering, "I don't even know why he doesn't like me. He just keeps telling me to grow up and be more realistic, whatever _that_ means."

"Well…" Jinx didn't want to hurt his feelings, "You do act immature." Draco pouted and she pinched his cheek. "But that's why I love you." She would've kissed him, but first she needed to put a band aid on his lip and cheek. "Does the eyes still hurt?"

"It's still swollen," Draco said, lifting the bag of melted ice a bit to let Jinx see it.

"We'll have Raven or Shadow heal it later," Jinx said, climbing into the truck and sitting next to him. She leaned her head on his shoulder. "Some night, huh?"

"Whaddya mean?" he asked.

"We came to find a bike, and have a vacation. On the first night here we're already fighting a big blue demon," she sighed, exasperated.

"It seems like the universe is screwing with us, huh?" he chuckled. Jinx giggled. Oh, how Draco loved that sound. Her laughter was so cute.

"Well, maybe it should stop screwing with us and just leave us alone!" she joked.

"I have to agree with you on that," Draco smiled. Talking to Jinx made him forget about his troubles. Ekelo had disappeared, as per usual. Good. If Draco didn't see Ekelo, it would be too soon.

Pluto watched as what was left of his car was hauled out of the nightclub, ready for the junkyard. Pluto bid it a fond farewell as he gripped the small silver ornament in his hand. He said, "Goodbye…"

"You know…you could ask for them to give it to you so you can fix it?" Blackfire suggested. He shook his head.

"Can't…after being used as an anvil, twice, and blown up, I don't think I can fix it," Pluto sighed sadly.

"I thought you could do anything?" Blackfire said playfully. He gave out a bitter laugh.

"Sorry. Not my motto. You should talk to Kim, she can do anything," Pluto told her.

Blackfire was not gonna give up. She was gonna cheer him up. The suggestion she had whispered into his ear had worked, for awhile. However, Pluto loved that car a lot. There must be a way. There had to be. She then pulled him into a deep and passionate kiss. It was an impulse thing, added with the fact that she loved him. She pulled away and he looked at her, dazed.

"What was that for?" he asked.

"Because I love you, you idiot," she laughed, before floating in front of him, "Now come on! Let's get on your bike and go. At least you still have that, right?"

Pluto looked at his Z-Rider. The Blue Dogcatcher was parked in all its glory. The blue and silver paintjob shone under the lights of the humvees. He turned to Blackfire and grinned. He took her hand, "What are we waiting for? Come on Black!" She laughed as he pulled her towards the bike.

No matter how bad this night had turned out, there was no way the Knights were going to let it stay that way. Wasn't their style, y'know?

Draco and Jinx leaned into each other, their lips meeting in a passionate kiss.

To Be Continued…

To Dr. Evans: Thanks for letting me use Ekelo. I made sure that Draco and Ekelo hated each others guts.

A little OOC with Draco. I know he wouldn't normally be THAT mean, but he has got a demon in him.

A little romance never hurt anyone after a fight like that. And, to let anyone know, the Knights didn't have their armor in this chapter.

Well, the next chapter, hopefully, will be more Titans in JC focused. I know some of you are dying to know what happened to DT. Stay tune to more of Zodiac Knight Draco: Shadows of the Past.


	33. PT033: Molock

Part 33: Molock

Inside an eerie palace, the sounds of chanting and constant screaming could be heard. A group of black cloaked humans were in a circle chanting some sort of ancient spell over and over again. They were in a circle and on around edges of some type of pentagram with an eye in the center of the star.

As the chanting stopped, blue flames came forward as the demon known as Kerka arose from the flames. As he did he went to the ground on one knee, "Molock, please I cannot…"

However, Kerka was cut short as a blast of demonic energy slammed into his chest and went right through. He gripped the wound in pain and looked up into two glowing yellow eyes that glared at him with pure distain. As the humanoid creature raised its hand, a red beam of demonic energy shot out and evaporated his head before falling down and being engulfed in blue flame.

"Again!" yelled the being known as Molock.

What was going on you may ask, and who was this being that was resurrecting Kerka only to strike him down again and repeat the process?

This being was none other than Molock, a High General of Hell's army and Terrorsan's most trusted commander. He was one of the most feared demons in all of Hell besides his master and the other two Lords of Hell.

He was by far the most menacing of all abominations and one of the most feared creatures besides the Death Knights.

Molock was charged with the responsibility of capturing Terrorsan's wayward son, Ekelo. He was the key for bringing Terrorsan to the realm of mortals. Terrorsan was not meant to rule this realm, but his own master known as Lucifer was. Ekelo was to bring fourth the right hand of Lucifer who would in turn bring forward the Dark Lord himself.

However, Molock had met with very little success since his first attempt and for four years Ekelo had evaded all attempts at capture and he always had been able to of his six Lieutenants.

As a blue flame engulfed the circle, Kerka appeared yet again as he dropped to the floor begging for mercy. He had been killed a hundred times and has been resurrected constantly. Normally when a demon would be brought back from Hell, their injuries and pain would not be felt when done so.

However, there were ways of resurrecting a demon and still have him feel the pain that was coursing through his body, which was what Molock was doing right now.

"Master please. I cannot take much more of this!" yelled Kerka begging and hoping his master would grant him mercy.

"You will endure as much pain and suffering until I say otherwise. You are incompetent! Your Orcs were supposed to bring Ekelo alive. Instead, you were bested yet again. But not only were you bested by Ekelo, but also by a Tamaranean, two other half-breeds, two humans, and a wretched witch!" yelled Molock, his voice deep and demonic, as his yellow eyes looked at five other figures from their respective corners.

They were the other five Lieutenants, each of them were much different. One looked to be a cross between a bat and a human, another is a giant stone gargoyle, another is a beautiful woman but had pale white skin, one was a cloaked figure with a pentagram on the hood, and the last was an armor clad zombie.

"You are all incompetent!" yelled Molock as he addressed the first, which was the vampire Lord, "Your vampires were supposed to turn him! Instead, he concocted a cure for his bite!"

His attention turned to the gargoyle, "Your warriors were supposed to be able to handle him and capture him. Yet he destroyed all of them and you!"

He turned to the woman before yelling as well, "You're Banshees were supposed to be able to turn him into stone so I could remake him into what he was supposed to be! Instead he broke out of the stone prison you put him and killed all of you!"

He passed the cloaked figure and went straight for the zombie, "And you're undead warriors were supposed to exhaust him for capture, not make him stronger!"

He turned around towards Kerka as he was getting up to stand until Molock grabbed some boiling wax that was being heated during Kerka's punishment. He reached out and grabbed the blue Orc's face as he poured the boiling wax into his mouth and down his throat. Kerka began thrashing and screaming in pain as the wax was being poured into his body and down his intestines.

When he was released, he went down on his hands and knees choking and coughing on the heated torture instrument. However, it didn't last long as Molock's foot crashed into his face making him go flying back into a rack before his arms and legs were bound by straps as the sorcerers began to quickly tie him up.

When it was done, Molock was handed a hot poker and he treaded over to Kerka. He forced his mouth open again by grabbing his face and shoved the hot poker down his throat before being handed another and doing the same.

Another cloaked sorcerer handed him a red glowing whip. Molock took the whip and began to slash Kerka across the chest with it. The Orc demon cried out in pain and begged for mercy as best he could with the hot pokers jammed in his throat. Molock turned around to address the others and said, "The only one that seems the most competent is Morkan."

The cloaked Lieutenant stepped forward and bowed to Molock, "Tell me again, Morkan, why Ekelo escaped from your clutches as I was on my way?"

A grin crossed his half covered face as the demon sorcerer explained, "The others were not too happy with their failures and with my success. So they decided to tell me if I did not give any credit to my Ekelo capture to them, then they would relieve me of him. They started to fight and tried to kill me. Amongst all of the chaos, Ekelo managed to escape."

Morkan enjoyed telling his master of that incident. The others had gotten a very severe punishment for that while the demon sorcerer was complemented in being the most successful in capturing Ekelo than the all the others.

"The servants of Hell and of Lucifer were not created to gain favor with a General or to prove their worth! The servants of Hell are to obey orders! They are to serve the will of the Dark Lord and the three Lords of Hell! There are no favorites and there are no excuses for failure!" Molock shouted.

"It's not our fault we fail because they were all your plans!" yelled the vampire Lord as he stepped forward hoping to get some support from his fellow brethren of evil.

However, what he got was everyone stepping away from him and out of Molock's way. He silently cursed to himself at his actions. His pride got the better of him and he made the most stupid act; he questioned his superior. Being a demon and a servant of Hell, that would not have been the wisest thing to do.

It was apparent that it was so as Molock was upon him within two seconds and had his hand at the Vampire Lord's throat, lifting him into the air, his yellow eyes glowing with malice and anger. The General of Hell began to crush the vampire's throat in one hand until he dropped him to the ground. However, before he could reach it, Molock's foot flew up sending him straight to the ceiling, hitting it straight on and landing on a spike, which impaled his chest.

Blood sprayed from the wound and onto Molock's face. The General of Hell scowled at him before reaching behind him, griping the hilt of his sword that was strapped to his back and pulled it out. The blade glowed with a reddish demonic aura; anyone who could sense holy or demonic energy that was human would keel over and start to vomit from the amount of evil the blade emitted. There were ancient demonic runes that were glowing red on the black blade. The tip glowed red until a surge of black demonic energy shot forward and began to electrocute the Vampire Lord.

It ended very quickly with the Lieutenant impaled and unconscious. His body was also singed and smoking.

"Get him off of that spike and bind him to the torture rack where he will join Kerka for his punishment!" yelled Morkan as he ordered several sorcerers to pull him down.

Morkan was Molock's most trusted Lieutenant. Morkan was a human druid once before thousand of years ago. However, Morkan was distraught over his family and was sacrificed to a very powerful dark god. However, Terrorsan interrupted the ceremony taking possession of a few humans and killing the cultists. Morkan was at Death's door but was given a contract to serve Terrorsan's most trusted commander, the High General Molock.

Morkan accepted, knowing that creature's known as humans deserved nothing but death at the hands of demons, and if anyone of them survived, they would do as slaves, for they would be the most twisted and evil of mankind.

During that time, Molock created an ancient cult of sorcerers known as the White Skull Clan. He was there leader and commander. Molock had trusted Morkan with commanding the sorcerers and was made second in command under Molock.

"_Molock, come to the meeting room at once!"_ A voice sounded in Molock's head, ordering him to come to a very unholy place where only the General of Hell was allowed to enter.

The voice was of evil, pure evil. It was nothing like the creatures, fiends, or demons of Hell. Nothing like a being completely composed of the darkest energies of the UNIVERSE. No, this being was for more evil than any being besides the three Lords of Hell and Lucifer. However, he WAS one of the three Lords of Hell.

Molock turned and headed for the door. But, before he left, he stopped and turned to Morkan, "I am entrusting their torture to you, Morkan. Make sure they are _comfortable_."

Molock left Morkan before he turned to the two bound to the wall. A sadistic grin crossed his lips, with half of his face hidden underneath the hood. He would take great pleasure in causing them as much suffering as possible.

He turned to the other Lieutenants before saying, "You will all have the privilege of watching me. Those who wish to help may do so by handing me a tool. If it is not the right one, then you will join them on the rack."

As he said so, he went over to a wall that was adorned with thousands of torturing tools; from all corners of the planet, the universe, and some from different realms and dimensions.

He looked at all of the instruments of torture with sadistic glee and could not decide on which to use. So, instead he reached for two of his favorites; a pair of large pliers that were used to grab large amounts of flesh and a sharp cutting knife. He ordered one sorcerer to hold the pliers while he cut some of the flesh off.

* * *

Inside a room that was very dark and had no lighting other than the dim candles on the wall and a glowing pentagram on the floor, the double doors to the room opened and Molock walked into the room.

He stood in the center of the pentagram as the doors slowly began to close. When they did, he knelt down as the area began to change. The walls burst into flames as they began to change. Screams of agony and despair rose throughout the room and bursts of lava would come upwards. The only thing that remained unchanged was the pentagram that he was kneeling on.

This was Hell, the true Hell. This Hell was nothing like how the many novels and movies tried to make it out. While there were screams and bursts of lava, there was an aura hopelessness and despair. A thick air of suffering of chaos was within it. Vast amounts of countless souls were being torn apart, their flesh rendered and burned into nothing, only to be healed again and the process repeated.

Screams of mercy, pain and agony came fourth from all around. It would have been too much for any other being to bear, but Molock was a High General of Hell. The screams he heard now were like an aphrodisiac to him.

However, he didn't have time bring in all of the screams of carnage and despair as a booming voice came from on top of a throne, "**Molock! It appears you have not yet captured my son!**"

"I'm afraid not, Lord Terrorsan. Me and my men are more used to killing our enemies and sending souls to this realm, rather than capturing potential assets like Ekelo," said Molock, his form still on one knee. He knew that he was only to rise when his Lord Terrorsan commanded him to do so.

"**I see. It is hard for most demons to do so. I am glad that I put you in charge of this task rather than a Death Knight,**" spoke the demon Lord of Hell.

"How am I supposed to capture him? All of my underlings are incompetent! I'm beginning to wonder if that saying the humans came up with is true," said Molock referring to the old saying, "Good help is so hard to find".

"**Then you will be the one to capture him,**" said Lord Terrorsan as he pointed from atop his throne at Molock.

Molock nodded and was about to leave the realm before he was stopped, "**Do not underestimate my son Molock. He is only a half breed, but remember, he is also of MY blood.**"

"What of the others?" Molock asked, "What do you want me to do with them?"

"**The others are of no consequence if they are to be killed. But Raven must not die. She is the means to the end of a traitor,**" said Terrorsan, referring to Trigon. While most people believed that Trigon was a High Demon Lord, he was actually, in truth, a High General of Hell much like what Molock was.

Trigon stepped out of his boundaries and tried to take over the realm of mortals once before. He was stopped and sealed away in an abysmal dimension between the realm of hell and the dimension known as Azerath.

But he wouldn't be stopped. So, he decided to create a way for him to escape and that way was through his own daughter.

However what Trigon failed to understand was that the realm of mortals belonged to Lucifer and will be his in time. It was not just the planet Earth that will fall underneath HIS grasp; it will be the entire universe and all of the other universes within the mortal realm.

Realms consist of different dimensions and different universes.

After all, planet Earth was not the only place where evil existed. On other planets there were different races and species that were as corrupted as humans were, if not even more.

Molock nodded before returning to the mortal realm. The room acted as a portal from the mortal realm to Hell itself. However, only a demon of incredible power could channel enough energy to maintain the crossover.

Molock stood up and left. His intentions were purely to capture Ekelo. Ekelo has not faced Molock yet, but he soon would.

And it would be a battle that he would never forget nor win, even with the help oh his friends.

To Be Continued…


	34. PT034: Recruitment

Part 34: Recruitment

Draco and Jinx returned to the mansion later that night. His mother was waiting for them and gasped in shock at his condition.

"What happened?" Emiko asked as she stared at the black eye her son now sported, "Was it a monster?"

"You could say that…" Jinx shrugged, "I'll take him to his room, okay?"

"You do that dear, while I get Ryuki a glass of milk," Emiko looked at her son's eye, "You sure you're okay?"

"Just a little sore. No permanent damage, Okaasan. You don't have to worry. Jinxy-chan already checked for other injuries and treated them," Draco said to her.

"I'll have the doctor come and check you in the morning, okay sweetie," Emiko smiled, "Now run along. It's late and your grandfather wants you up nice and early for your training sessions."

"Okaasan…" Draco groaned.

"No buts Ryuki Leonard Hasuma. Now, go get cleaned up and get ready for bed. Jenny-chan, I expect you to make sure he does what I say," Emiko winked.

Jinx caught the wink and grinned slyly, "Okay…Mrs. Hasuma." She pulled Draco in with her, "C'mon, baby, let's get you cleaned up."

"Jinxy-chan…" Draco groaned as he followed after his girlfriend, "Not you too…" he pouted.

Emiko watched the two teens climb up the stairs, Draco stumbling in his steps. She shook her head and smiled, "They are so much in love, aren't they?" she walked over to the wall and picked up a framed photo of her late husband, "Like we were, Kyo-chan…"

* * *

Shadow had returned to the office after his date with Raven. It was very late. Though his date had been ruined by the sudden appearance of Orcs and a demon Lieutenant, not to mention Ekelo, they were able to salvage their night and have a great time. Shadow head sent Raven back to the mansion a little after midnight and kissed her goodnight. 

Shadow stared at the computer monitor. It was displaying four individual faces, all of them teens. The first was boy with bright blue eyes and messy black hair. The second was another boy, Chinese, with black hair that had green highlights in it. The 3rd was a girl, also Chinese, with long black hair and a pink streak in it. Finally the 4th was a…robot? Yes, she was. She had white metal skin and blue pigtails. Shadow clicked on each, starting with the first one:

Name: Daniel "Danny" Fenton a.k.a Danny Phantom

Other aliases: Inviso-Bill, Ghost Boy, Ghost Kid, Ghost Child

Age: 15 yrs

Location: Amity Park, Chicago, USA

Occupation: High School Student

Family: Jack Fenton (Father), Maddie Fenton (Mother), Jasmine "Jazz" Fenton (Sister)

Parents' Occupation: Ghost Hunters

Powers: Basic ghost powers such as flight, invisibility and intangibility. Can also turn other things invisible and intangible as well. Can shoot ectoplasmic energy blasts and manipulate ecto-energy to create a protective shield dome. Possesses an ability called "The Ghostly Wail". Is constantly learning new powers. Powers can be used in either human or ghost form.

Additional Data: Received powers due to an accident with parents' experimental Ghost Portal. Was once feared and hated as Amity Park's public enemy number one. Intervention from Smart Brain Corp has cleared his name.

Shadow clicked Danny's picture and it shifted into an identical teen with snow white hair, neon green eyes and wearing a black and white jumpsuit with a DP emblem on his chest.

Shadow smiled. It was he, himself, that had chosen Danny as a candidate. He clicked on the next candidate.

Name: Jacob "Jake" Luke Long a.k.a The American Dragon

Age: 14 yrs

Location: New York City, USA

Occupation: High School Student

Family: Luong Lao Shi (grandfather) Haley Kay Long (little sister) Johnathan Long (Father), Susan Long (Mother), Fu Dog (Animal Gaurdian)

Power: Can transform into a red dragon, fly and breathe fire.

Additional Data: Still in training. Has known to be reckless and abuses powers constantly for personal gain. However, has learnt to take responsibility for his actions.

Shadow looked at Jake's human form and Jake's dragon form. Shadow remembered when Draco had been sent to recruit Jake as a candidate as well. Next, Shadow clicked on the Chinese girl

Name: Juniper "June" Lee a.k.a The Te Xuan Ze

Age: 13

Location: Orchid Bay City, USA

Occupation: Junior High School Student

Family: Jasmine Lee (Grandmother) Raymond "Ray-Ray" Lee (little brother), Dennis Lee (Older Brother), Michael Lee (Father) Barbara Lee (Mother), Monroe (Animal Guardian)

Powers: Juniper has enhanced reflexes, giving her cat-like agility in battle. She also has superhuman strength, enabling her to do battle with creatures far larger than she is with little trouble. She can use spells, amulets, charms, and other magic items to assist her in battle.

Additional Data: Compared to Ah-Mah, she is relatively inexperienced in the world of magic, and relies heavily on brute force to accomplish her goals

"Another Draco…" Shadow mumbled as he took a sip of tea. He remembered that Tazuka had been the one to recruit her awhile back. He then clicked on the robot

Name: Global Robot Response Unit XJ-9 a.k.a Jenny Wakeman

Age: Bodily, 15. Actual, 7

Location: Tremorton, USA

Occupation: High School Student

Family: Dr. Nora Wakeman (Her creator/mother) other XJ robots (her sisters before her)

Powers: Flight, super strength, strong impenetrable armor and transformations used to adapt during battle

Additional Data: Possesses a free will and human emotions. She may look like a robot, but she has the "soul" of a teenage girl.

"I remembered Pluto said he had a crush on her. Wonder how'd Vic react?" Shadow picked up a file folder. On it, written in bold letters, were the words Candidates for SB Recruits. He looked at the data on screen.

"We observed them over a year ago. Now, it's time to call them," Shadow took out his SB cell. Each of the 4 had been given an SB cell phone in case Shadow, or any other SB operatives, needed to communicate with them. Now, it was time.

"Let Operation: Team Mystic, be commenced," he dialed the numbers and proceeded to call.

* * *

Pluto was in the lab, alone. He was currently working on blueprints for a new car he was going to build due to his old car being reduced to a total pile of junk now. 

"The Blue Hound II," Pluto mused as he looked over the blueprints. He took the hood ornament out of his pocket and said, "You'll be back, my friend, better even…" There was a snore behind him and he turned. There on the couch was Blackfire, curled up. She was sleeping soundly. Her blanket had dropped to the ground. Pluto went over, picked up the blanket, and draped it over her body. She sighed in contentment before snoring again. Pluto shook his head and smiled before returning to his work.

After half an hour, he went to get a drink. He filled up a glass beaker with some water from the dispenser and was about to take a sip when he heard a thud. Placing the glass onto the counter, he did not notice an identical glass beaker next to it.

Blackfire was on the floor, her body tangled up in the blanket. Miraculously, she was still asleep. Pluto allowed himself a small chuckle before picking her back up and placing her back on the couch. He bent down and kissed her on the forehead. "Night Blacky," he whispered lovingly.

"Wuv you puppy…" she said in her sleep as she smiled. Pluto sighed. He went back to the counter and picked up the beaker, throwing the entire content into his mouth and swallowing, before putting it down. He then returned to his work.

He failed to notice another beaker full of water. The empty beaker was labeled. It had the words 'Experimental Nanobots' written on it in bold black ink.

Uh oh.

To Be Continued…

ZK: Chromedragozoid: Looks like Pluto made another boo boo. Wonder what the nanobots will do to him? Notice the characters Shadow was recruiting? Sound familiar? Well, that's all for this chap. Stay tune for another chap with the Titans as they spend more time with DT.


	35. PT035: The Cat Returns

Part 35: The Cat Returns

Back in Jump City, to be more specific, in the Wilsons' Mansion, Kat was getting ready.

She was getting ready for battle.

She put on the suit Slade made for her and put on a new black bow ribbon. Her hair had also been put in a tight braid. She also put on a choker with Slade's emblem on. Finally, she hooked the Zodiac Deck to her utility belt. She gazed at her armored hands and at the clawed fingertips. She scratched the claws together and the brief contact made sparks fly. She then balled her fingers into fists and then let them fly open, revealing 6 inch longs claws. She grinned. She looked in the mirror and noticed one thing: she had no mask.

Usually, Kat wore a helmet when she was in armored form, her Zodiac armored form. However, she was not in her Zodiac Armor. She was in her Slade armor. The sharp black S within a red heart on her chest a testament to that. She went over to her dresser drawer and pulled it out. Reaching in, she pulled out a domino mask.

It was the same mask Robin wore during his apprenticeship with Slade.

She fixed it over her eyes and blinked, getting her eyes into focus. She looked herself in the mirror. Not bad. On the dresser was a piece of paper. On this piece of paper was a drawing of a red glaring wolf's face. It was the symbol of the Sabretrons. She picked it up, threw it into the air, right before swiping down and reducing it to pieces. She grinned.

She was ready.

She walked over to her door and swung it open telekinetically. She leapt over the banister and landed on the floor, on her feet. She then proceeded to the door. However, there was still one obstacle: her teammates.

Grant had his arms crossed over his chest, Joey was silent, and Rose had a pleading look on her face. Kat tried to look away; she hated that look, it made her feel guilty.

"Step aside," she told them, brandishing her claws.

"Sorry, sistah," Grant retorted, "No can do."

((Be reasonable Katherine)) Joey spoke in her head.

"And don't go through with this," Rose pleaded.

Kat shook her head and pointed to her choker, "Don't worry, guys. I'll be fine. I just need to get rid of some pests…Sabretronian pests."

"Okay, you've been talking about these Sabretron guys a lot lately," Grant glared, "Just who are these guys and what is your deal with them?"

"It's none of your concerns," Kat walked forward and pushed past them. However, someone had a firm grip on her shoulder. Kat threatened, "Let go Grant, or else."

"Please don't do this, Kitty-Kat," Rose said, holding onto her girlfriend's shoulder.

_Crap!_ Kat swore in her head. If it was Grant, she would beat him up. If it was Joey, she'd pull away. If it was Rose…If it was Rose…She didn't know what to do.

"I don't wanna see you hurt…" Rose said, placing her forehead on Kat's back. "Don't go after the Titans now…without father or his androids…"

"I don't need him, or his toy soldiers…" Kat said to her, not turning her head to look. "I can do this on my own." Kat pried her shoulder away. "See you later Rosey."

Rose was almost to tears. She latched onto her brother Joey and cried into his shirt. Kat didn't care. She went over to the double doors and pushed them open. She looked over her shoulder and saw the disapproving look on Joey's face, the look of contempt on Grant's, and Rose…Rose had tears in her beautiful gray eyes.

God she hated that look.

She ignored it and went down the stoop and headed towards the front gate. She leapt over the bars and landed opposite it. She looked back. She would be fine, she knew that. She had Evil on her side. She pulled out a communicator and flipped up the viewing screen. With a push of a button, she had the radar on. She stared, trying to find a blip. She found it.

Kat smirked, "Purrfect…" Kat purred…she put her hand to the domino mask she was wearing. Truthfully, she hated the half orange half black mask she used to wear. It wasn't very comfortable.

She then leapt into the air and teleported.

Meanwhile…

"Pizza? What is pizza?" DT asked.

"You mean you've never tried Pizza?" Beast Boy said in disbelief. DT shook his head, "You really are from another planet, aren't you?" he laughed. Everyone else groaned and DT failed to see the humor.

DT asked, "Is it going to taste as good as your tofu, Beast Boy?" DT asked hopefully. Cyborg stuck his tongue out.

"Dawg! How can you eat that stuff? It's not even real food!" Cyborg said, disgusted.

"It is too real food!" Beast Boy protested.

"No it ain't!" Cyborg protested.

"Please friends! Do not fight!" Starfire pleaded.

"Hmph!" Cyborg grumbled.

It was the day after DT was found and brought to the Tower. He still slept in the hospital wing and today he had an interesting day.

(Flashback to morning…)

The Titans were having breakfast and both Beast Boy and Cyborg were fighting over which foodstuff was better: Tofu or Meat?

Naturally, as the 'newbie', DT was 'volunteered' to put a stop to the (idiotic) debate. He sat at the table with two plates in front of him. One had an assortment of cooked meats on it while the other had Beast Boy's favorite, tofu.

He picked up the spoon and scooped some of Beast Boy's tofu (poison) and put it in his mouth. Nearly half the team expected him to turn green and vomit and the other half was shivering with anticipation. DT began to chew…and stopped.

"DT?" Robin began. "Are you okay? Need a glass of water or something?"

"Yes new friend Trouble-of-Double? Are you falling ill due to Beast Boy's concoctions?" Starfire asked fearfully.

That was when DT's face broke into a large broad grin and began shoveling the tofu into his mouth quickly, "By Primus! This is GOOD!" he smiled. Cyborg's jaw dropped and Beast Boy began doing a victory dance. When DT was done with the tofu, he ate the meat Cyborg prepared to him. He let out a modest belch and patted his stomach, a satisfied smile played on his lips. Cyborg groaned while Beast Boy kept saying, "See! See!" Terra giggled.

Later, they went to play videogames. DT watched with curiosity as Cyborg and Beast Boy pressed the buttons on the controller. DT asked, "Is this a training or battle simulator?"

Both Cyborg and Beast Boy said, "It's a videogame."

DT asked, "What's a videogame?"

This caused the two Titans' eyes to bug out, causing their virtual cars to crash into one another. Their heads turned to DT's direction and they were staring at him like he was some sort of weird alien, which wasn't farther from the truth.

"You haven't heard of videogames?" Beast Boy said in disbelief. DT shook his head.

"Seriously?" Cyborg gasped.

"I have seen training simulators for combat, but not something quite like this I'm afraid," DT said.

"You…" Beast Boy said hesitantly, passing the controller to DT, "Wanna play?"

DT shrugged, "I guess." He sat down on the couch, between Beast Boy and Cyborg, and stared at the screen. He asked, "What do I do…?"

"Just press the buttons. Okay, let's start a new game!" Cyborg said excitedly. They soon began racing after showing DT the basics.

10 minutes later…

"DT WINS!" the game announced. Cyborg dropped the controller and gasped. Beast Boy began snickering.

"Dude!" he laughed, "DT kicked your butt, on his first try!"

"Beginner's luck…" Cybrorg grumbled as he bent down to pick the controller up.

"Did I do something wrong?" DT asked.

"No dude," Beast Boy said, "Cy just hates to lose."

"Do you want to play again?" DT was almost afraid to ask.

"Yeah!" Cyborg shouted, a look of firm determination chiseled on his face as his red eye flashed, "Rematch!"

30 minutes and 15 seconds later…

"DT WINS!" the game announced.

Cyborg dropped his controller in defeat. DT looked at him worried, "Is he going to be OK?" the alien cyborg asked the green skinned (or furred) changeling, who was laughing his head off.

(A/N: I'm not really sure if Beast Boy has green skin or fur all over him. It was just never mentioned. I may alternate between the two descriptions until someone tells me otherwise)

Cyborg was catatonic and Beast Boy just said, wiping a tear away from his eye, "It's okay, dude. It's okay. He'll be fine.

DT shrugged, "OK," and walked towards the elevator. He wanted to talk to Robin and he knew he'd be in the training room.

Of course, when he arrived and walked in, he immediately turned back around and into the elevator.

(A/N: 3 guesses to what DT saw in the training room and the first two don't count)

He was outside of Titans Tower and he heard a, "Hey," behind him. He looked over his shoulder to see Terra there, smiling.

"Hello, Terra," he smile to her. "What are you doing out here, really?"

"Just like to get some fresh air, plus I like the feel of the ground on my feet," Terra said to him. DT noticed that she was without her usual hiking boots, and she wasn't wearing socks either. She was completely barefoot.

"You have a connection to the Earth, I see," DT surmised as he had witnessed the use of her powers the previous day.

"Got that right," Terra sat down next to him. "How do you like it so far in Titans Tower?" she asked.

"It's great. Though I can't compare it to anything yet since my memories are yet to return," he pointed to his head.

"Well, I hope you get them back," Terra picked up a stone pebble and threw it on the water, watching it skip across the surface.

DT watched this and picked up a pebble of his own. He then threw it. However, it didn't skip over the water. Instead, it flew over the water like a rocket and split a nearby boulder in half. He gasped, "Looks like I don't know my own strength."

"You need some control," Terra said, "I'll show you." She demonstrated and the pebble skipped over the water effortlessly.

"Easy for you to say," he grinned, "You're a geokinetic."

"Hey, some people got it, others don't," she joked back.

DT then looked over at the city. "What is that place?" DT asked.

"Oh, that's Jump City. We told you that we protect it from bad guys and other stuff," Terra told her. They did, when he woke up without any knowledge of whom he was or where he was from. He only knew his name, or at least a nickname. Double-Trouble. But, what was his real name? He looked over at the city again and sighed.

"You wanna go see it?" Terra asked.

"Can I?" DT's eyes sparkled under his mask.

"We'll all be going out for pizza anyway. I'll tell the others," she summoned up part of the ground under her and flew back to the Tower.

"What's pizza?" DT asked, puzzled.

(Present…)

That was why the Titans were all in Cy's T-Car and driving towards the pizza place.

"So, if I may ask again, what is pizza?" DT asked. The one to answer was Starfire.

"It is a large round piece of bread with various toppings including cheese and sauce of the tomato and baked into delicious goodness!" Starfire beamed.

DT understood, almost. He knew what Starfire's idea of delicious was. He had tried some of her 'famed' pudding…

And puked into the toilet for over an hour.

Strange…maybe he wasn't supposed to eat Tamaranian food. Oh well. Since this was Earth food and he had liked his previous meals, except the ones Starfire made, this would probably be a new experience for him.

"Okay, okay," Beast Boy began giggling, "Stop me if you've heard this one! A guy walks into a bar and said..."

"Beast Boy," Robin groaned, "Remember, 'no jokes in the car'."

"Hmph!" Beast Boy grumbled.

"What did this man say as he went into a bar?" Starfire asked.

"Yes," DT agreed, "What did he say?"

"He said…" Beast Boy snickered, "He said…"

**CRASH! **

Suddenly, a large rock slammed into the side of the T-Car, sending it flying and rolling onto the ground until it hit a lamppost.

"…Ow…" Beast Boy groaned.

"What hit us?" Cy shook and rubbed his head.

Terra narrowed her eyes. She had sensed the use of geokinetic powers, powers like hers.

The Titans helped each other out of the car. Terra looked around and saw silhouette walking towards them. She tensed. Why was she tensed?

"Hey Titans," the silhouette said in a silky voice, like she was purring, "Remember me…?" the dust cleared and Terra froze.

"No…" Terra shivered.

Kat walked into visibility, clad in her Slade suit. The suit that gave Terra nightmares. The suit may have been different, but still the same. The metal wrappings, the bolts, chestplate, and the Slade emblem on the chest.

Terra cringed and Beast Boy went over to her, "Terra, are you okay?" she answered his answer.

She screamed.

Kat played with her bangs, "Looks like blondie saw something that she didn't like. Wonder what it was?" Kat said this innocently.

Robin demanded, "Who are you?"

"Oh, Robin. I can't believe you don't remember me," Kat pouted. "After all, I did drive my claws right through your dragon Knight friend."

"COPYCAT!" The Titans shouted in unison, realization on their faces, all except DT.

"Who is she?" DT asked.

"Your worse nightmare….Sabretron scum…" Copycat snarled.

The Titans looked at her, confused.

"Sabretron…?"

That was when she lunged and went to attack them. Robin then responded with his trademark, "TITANS! GO!"

To Be Continued…

ZK Chromedragozoid: Looks like its Copycat VS The Titans. This time the Titans don't have the Knights' help or the powers of the Zodiac. This could be bad. And is DT in trouble?


	36. PT036: The Talk

Part 36: The Talk

(A/N: Takes place somewhere in the beginning of Part 34: Recruitment, right before Shadow went over the possible recruits)

Inside Shadow's office stood Raven as she was waiting for Shadow to return. They had returned to Smart Brain and Raven decided to have some time alone in Shadow's office. However, while she would normally try to relax by meditating, she was instead thinking.

She was thinking about her feelings for Ekelo. So far, she was confused about her feelings for him and Shadow.

Shadow understood her and returned the love she had shown him. They were great together and so was their time together. There were a few secrets between them, but everyone was entitled to have their secrets, weren't they?

However, Ekelo was much more different than Shadow. He was strong but also silent like she always was, or used to be. His destiny was almost exactly like Raven's, being born to fulfill a prophecy to end the world.

It was one of the reasons why Ekelo had trusted her, because he could understand where she was coming from and that was the one of many reasons why she had fallen in love with him in the first place.

They had traveled together for half a year and were hounded multiple times by his many enemies that were all under the command of one man, no, demon was a better word because that was what he was.

During the time, she had grown close to him and she was probably the only one who understood him other than his adopted father.

She had heard of Ekelo's adopted father, the one who had raised him and had sealed the demonic side of him away when he was an infant.

His name was Cyclops, a very powerful immortal sorcerer. Why, the term immortal was meant for those who had gained immortality. The term immortal sorcerer was instead used as a title for the few sorcerers who had been able to use magic in a way so they would stop aging entirely, stopping at a certain age and remaining as thus.

She heard everything of Ekelo's past and had been known as a friend to him. She was grateful at the time that she had someone that she could trust and call a friend. However, as time had went by, she began to become much closer to Ekelo and soon she fell in love with him.

When they had parted ways, after Ekelo finally got it through to all of his enemies' skulls that they were not together or allies, Raven had admitted her feelings to him, hoping that she and him could stay and travel together.

But it was not like as she had hoped.

He had made it very clear to her that she was nothing more than a friend to him, a close friend, but a friend nonetheless. He had explained to her the dangers of him having a relationship with anyone. He had made sense but it still hurt her to leave him. However, when she had joined the Teen Titans, the pain was slowly going away as she had gained new friends.

When Shadow had come into the picture, she had forgotten about her feelings for Ekelo but his friendship never left her heart. However, for some reason, now seeing Ekelo almost after two years of when they had separated, her old feelings for him started to come back and she was confused.

She was in love with Shadow, yet at the same time her previous love for Ekelo was making itself known to her yet again.

She didn't want to choose between the two men that meant more to her than anything other than her other friends. Perhaps all she needed was to have a talk with Ekelo, get some closure, and put these feelings to rest.

But then again that was easier said than done, because finding Ekelo again was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

She knew of his methods of travel; he would stay clear of largely populated cities and would go into small towns. He would occasionally go to a city but only to get some money of course.

He would make money doing different things. Of course he never earned any of it by mowing lawns or raking leaves. He would get a small and temporary job that didn't involve him signing any papers or having to look for any identification.

He would sometimes get a job doing some mild construction work, or sometimes taking down dangerous criminals with bounties on their heads.

Finding Ekelo to get some closure would be trying to find the physical form of God himself, which in all aspects was near to impossible, but likely in other situations.

Of course there was always The Order. It was a secret organization that destroyed the evil demonic entities. Then again, Raven and the members of The Order were not very close, and they resented her because of what she was supposed to do. They could kill her if they wanted, hell they had enough experienced Hunters to track her down and kill her without even putting up a real fight.

Of course the Crusaders, or more specifically the first Crusader known as Lance, told The Order that she was not to be hunted down unless she gave into her demonic side.

Lance was a guy she respected since he wasn't as narrow minded as most people. But, then again, the guy was far from normal. Of course getting in contact with him would be harder than finding Ekelo all on her own.

She'd have better luck opening a portal to Hell than being able to find a Crusader, let alone Lance.

Of course there were a few members in The Order that could actually be able to help her and not refuse her request. She could tell them to keep an eye out for Ekelo and tell them that she needed to speak with him and it was very important.

But then again, there was always the problem where she wouldn't find closure, instead the feelings would get even stronger to a point she would have to do the unthinkable, choose between two men that she cared for and tell the other that she didn't love him.

Raven sighed as she didn't know what to do. Normal problems could be figured out, but this was far from normal. This was a problem that involved the heart and confusing feelings.

"Raven," came Shadow's voice from within the room. He had been doing some work outside of the office, most likely discussing with Prof. Murata regarding the prospects of new recruits.

Raven turned and smiled at Shadow. It was a weak smile filled with confusion and Shadow could sense it.

"I need to know something," said Shadow.

Raven nodded but knew all to well what he wanted to know, "You want know about mine and Ekelo's relationship?"

Shadow nodded, "Is it that obvious?"

Raven sighed and decided to answer his first question rather than his second, "Me and Ekelo traveled together for half a year. During the time I didn't trust him, but as he let me know more of his past and after he saved my life two times, I began to trust him and even call him a friend."

Shadow remained silent as Raven turned her gaze to the window letting her finish, "But then the feeling of friendship turned into something more and I fell in love with him. During the time we parted I told him of my feelings for him, but he said he felt nothing for me other than as a friend. It hurt… for awhile, but when I joined the Titans the feeling slowly edged away as I began to accept the fact that I had friends, but the feelings and memories I still have of him were still there."

She turned around to look at Shadow as she continued, "And then you came. I fell in love with you and I forgot about my feelings for Ekelo, but he was still there in my memories. But now…"

She turned her gaze back to the window as she overlooked the city, "Now that I met Ekelo after all these years, my feelings for him have started to stir again and I don't know what to do."

Raven turned around and walked over to Shadow as she put a hand on his cheek and began again, "I love you Ichijyo, more than anything. But with my feelings for Ekelo returning, it has made me confused and I'm not sure what to do. I don't want to choose between the two men that mean everything to me and can understand me."

Shadow could do nothing else than just pull Raven in for a hug. He didn't want to see her like this. She was confused about her feelings and he wasn't sure if he could help.

He didn't blame Ekelo for this. However, he was a bit jealous. After all, Ekelo seemed to have found a place within his love's heart that wouldn't seem to dissipate over time.

"The only thing I think that can help me is to get some closure," said Raven as she hugged Shadow back.

Their embrace lasted for a few minutes until they let go of one another rather reluctantly. "Well I think that's easier said than done. Knowing Ekelo, he's probably at the edge of the city by now and onto another location. But I think I can help with that," Shadow told her.

Raven gave him a questioning look wanting to know what he meant by that. He continued, "I have… connections. Not superhero connection or political connection but of the… supernatural kind. Some of them are hard to get a hold of and they're very cautious. But I can ask them to keep an eye out for Ekelo."

Raven smiled at this. Even though she knew Shadow was jealous he was still willing to help her find Ekelo, even though things might not go as planned.

"Thank you, Ichijyo," she said to him softly before embracing him once more.

"Don't mention it, luv. It's the least I could do. He is your friend and you still care for him. What kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn't help out my girlfriend?" he gave her a smile.

She played with the black pendant around her neck a bit before leaning up and capturing his lips with hers. This caught Shadow by surprise but he was able to kiss her back. They pulled away, reluctantly, and held onto one another. Raven let out a yawn and Shadow snickered. Raven stared at him, "What?"

"Come luv," he told her, "Let me send you back to Leo's mansion. You're probably exhausted and it has been one insane night."

"I know…and all I wanted was a normal date with you," she placed her ear close to his heart.

"I don't think 'normal' could be associated with the likes of us," he said jokingly as he twirled some of her hair a bit. She giggled.

"Good point, Mr. Vampangel," she joked back and kissed him on the lips again.

Kissing Raven like this always brought up the desire within the Knight of Invisibility. He had to kick himself mentally in the behind as not to ravish her on sight. She was so beautiful and he had to use every inch of willpower as not to turn her, not like he could really. He wasn't a full vampire so he doubted he could make her a vampire either.

Although, one could always hope.

Also, the other desire did come out and he had to practice self control still. He wanted so much to throw her onto the table, or the couch, or the floor, or any other surface within the confines of the office and ravish her on sight. She smelled so nice and he was still a red-blooded male. Raven noticed this and pulled away. She looked at his face as Shadow stared at her hungrily and licked his lips…and fangs.

"You're horny, aren't you?" she asked, her eyes narrowed in a sexy kind of way.

"How did you guess?" he asked, grinning like a psycho.

"I felt it through our bond and I felt it through your pants," she told him, making the young CEO blush.

"Sorry! I apologize if I made you uncomforta-" she interrupted him.

"You don't need to get any work done yet, right?" she asked.

He caught on, "Not really…I'm free for the next half hour…"

She raised her eyebrow, "And we're the only ones here, right?" she smiled.

"Yes we are…" he said to her, leaning down and licking her neck. She let out a moan.

"And your door is locked, right?" she asked. She heard a click.

"It is now. I doubt anyone will be interrupting us luv…" he grinned as he nibbled her earlobe.

"They better not. Now come here!" she teased.

"Oh, you little minx!" Shadow chortled, scooping her up in his arms and heading for the couch.

To Be Continued…

ZK Chromedragozoid: I will not and shall not turn this into a LEMON! Just a little suggestiveness and innuendo would do.

Anyway, I hope everyone's curious about what's happening with the Titans back in JC as Copycat goes PSYCHO on them.


	37. PT037: Catscratch

Part 37: Catscratch

Copycat lunged and attacked the Titans, starting with Robin. The young spiky haired martial artist took out his Bo staff and began to parry all of the Copycat's vicious slashes. The cat Knight grinned and her eyes flashed under her mask. She did a flip and kicked Robin in the chin before landing back on her nimble feet.Robin shook his head and went into a battle stance with his staff before charging. Copycat grinned. She reached into her belt and pulled out an identical Bo staff and extended it to meet Robin's strikes.

Robin swung his Bo staff and jabbed with it only for Copycat to block, parry and dodge each of them. She gave him an evil grin before she too started to attack him. Robin recognized something in her style.

_She's fighting just like me!_ Robin thought, shocked as Copycat swung up and caught Robin's staff with hers before tearing it out of his hands. She then did a twirl and executed a spinning heel kick into his midsection, knocking the air right out of him. The kick was vicious and he caught himself on his hands and knees. Copycat licked her lips and snapped her claws, ready to slash his face off.

She forgot about the other Titans

"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" she heard a shout and a green blast of energy slammed into her back and threw her straight into a car, smashing right through.

"Robin, are you alright?" Starfire said as she kneeled down next to the fallen Boy Wonder.

"I'm (cough) fine (cough) Star!" Robin said in between fits of coughing. Starfire let out a battle cry, her eyes burning with green fire, as she went to attack Copycat.

Copycat looked up from the wrecked car she was in and allowed herself a sadistic grin. Her eyes flashed again as Starfire began pelting the car with starbolts. She continued to hurl them until she made sure that she had subdued the evil villainess. She stopped and when the dust cleared…she gasped.

Copycat was gone.

"Star!" Cyborg shouted, "Behind you!"

Starfire turned and her face was met with the fist of Copycat. She looked to see the cat Knight of Mimicry staring at her with glowing green eyes and that she was flying.

"How…?" Starfire began to ask, feeling utterly confused.

"My name is Copycat little girl," Copycat said, "Let me show you WHY!" she fired green starbolts out of her hand at Starfire and blasted the Tamaranian into a wall. Starfire looked up and fired her eyebeams only for Copycat to counter with her own. Both beams of energy pushed at each other, neither one giving up. Starfire's teeth were gritted as she put more effort into her beam. However, Copycat was putting a lot more power into her beam and was pushing the energy back towards Starfire. With luck, Starfire would look exactly like a burnt match after this.

"BOOYAH!" Cyborg yelled as he fired his sonic cannon into Copycat's side, shattering her concentration and blasting her into another wall. Copycat glared down at Cyborg and with another flash of her eyes, she turned her right arm into a sonic cannon like Cyborg's. Cyborg's eyes widened and this was the distraction she needed before she let loose a concentrated beam of sonic power into the bionic teen, knocking him off his feet. She leapt down and was about to finish him off when a green pterodactyl grabbed her with its talons. It was Beast Boy and Terra was riding on his back.

"Drop her BB!" Terra said as BB let go. However, Copycat's eyes flashed and she morphed herself into a python. She slithered up Beast Boy's leg and then around his neck, squeezing tight in an attempt to strangle him…or worse, break his neck. Beast Boy gagged and involuntarily morphed back into human form as Copycat morphed into a hawk. Both the green teen and the geomancer's fall was broken by Terra who summoned up a flying rock platform that caught them before they fell onto the street.

"Beast Boy…" Terra said worriedly as she leaned down and held the changeling against her. He was still breathing but was knocked out. She looked around for the mimic and glared hatefully with yellow eyes. Her eyes met with the masked ones of Slade's newest apprentice.

"Surprise," Copycat purred before lashing out and grabbing the sides of Terra's head with her hands. She gripped tightly, drawing blood as her clawed fingertips dug into the geomancer's head. Copycat leaned closer and purred, playfully. "Wonder what Slade ever saw in you, you treacherous bitch? Wonder why the Titans even took you back? You're nothing but a traitor and you always will."

"Shut up!" Terra wailed, trying to pull Copycat's hands away but with no avail.

"What's the matter little girl? Can't take the truth?" Copycat teased.

Terra was about to lose control as the flying rock was about to crash. Copycat leapt off, with Terra in her grasp, and allowed the rock to crash into the ground.

"Beast…Boy…" Terra's eyes widened as tears began to fall out.

Copycat hissed in her face, "Worry about yourself, Terra…"

Terra let out another whimper as the claws dug deeper, drawing more blood. Her blonde hair was starting to get stained. The Titans all got up and saw this. Beast Boy stirred awake and then his eyes shot open.

Beast Boy yelled out, "LET HER GO!"

Copycat took her claws out of Terra's head before grabbing the girl around the neck and had another claw open in front of her tear stricken face. "Stay back, Titans," she threatened when she saw Starfire with starbolts ready, Robin with his electronic discs and Cyborg with his cannon ready to aim. "Make any wrong and/or sudden movements and the walking earthquake maker gets it!" She emphasized her point by running one claw over Terra's cheek, drawing blood as the blonde in her clutches whimpered.

"Terra…" Beast Boy yelled out, "PLEASE! DON'T HURT HER!" he begged. Copycat smiled with sick satisfaction. She licked the bleeding cheek and Terra moved her head away in disgust. The sharp claws were still pressed against her neck, quite dangerously I might add, and might rip her throat right open.

"What do you want, Copycat?' Robin asked.

"First, lower your weapons!" she demanded, her claws pressed against Terra's neck, causing her to cry out in pain. "Do it!"

Robin took off his utility belt and placed it to the ground, slowly. The glow around Starfire's hand and in her eyes subsided as she lowered her head and arms. Cyborg deactivated his sonic cannon and Beast Boy just stood there, shocked and fearful for Terra's life.

"Now, let Terra go," Robin told the insane Cat Knight. Copycat laughed.

"Oh, naïve Robin. Did I ever say I was going to let her go if you lowered your weapons?" Copycat said mockingly.

"YOU PROMISED!" Robin roared.

"I made no such promise!" Copycat shouted back. She opened her clawed hand in front of Terra's face, "But I'll leave you all with a parting gift. Let's see if little Terra can handle a facelift!" she pulled her arm back and then swung it down to slash Terra's face off.

"NO!" Robin shouted.

"PLEASE DON'T!" Starfire shouted.

"TERRA! NO!" Beast Boy screamed.

"STOP!" Cyborg howled.

Terra shut her eyes as she awaited the inevitable.

It never came.

"LET HER GO!" a strong male voice shouted out as the owner slammed into Copycat hard, loosening her hold on Terra, enough for Beast Boy to dash forward as a cheetah, catch her on her back and then speed off in the opposite direction.

The Titans loomed over Terra as Beast Boy laid her on the ground. She was wounded, mostly in the head as she bled into her hair. Tears were falling from her eyes as she reached up and clutched the front of Beast Boy's uniform. She was shaking, afraid. Beast Boy wrapped his arms protectively around her whispering, "It's okay, Ter. It's okay. I'm here…"

"Beast Boy…" she cried. "I was so scared…It hurts…It hurts…"

The other Titans looked at Terra sympathetically before turning their attention to Copycat, glaring at her hatefully.

Copycat coughed out some of the dust and rocks that invaded her mouth as she made contact with the street. She turned around and locked eyes with a blue haired teen in a black jumpsuit, wearing mismatched gloves, boots and shoulder pads as well as a mask with mismatched lenses. It was the one she was looking for. She hissed, smiling, "Double-Trouble…"

"How dare you hurt my friends!" he shouted at her, anger building up inside him.

Copycat laughed, "Friends! Yeah right! What do you know about friends?"

"More than you will!" he threw a punch and she easily caught it. She then pulled him in and elbowed him in the face before grabbing his face and then bringing it down and bringing her knee up before smashing them together and creating a loud smashing sound as they made impact. DT stumbled back, his nose bleeding and his lenses cracked. She advanced on him.

"I saw those bracelets you're wearing, kid. So don't bother hiding what you are," she said to him.

DT backed away and asked, "What are you talking about?"

"I know for a fact that you are a Sabretron!" she snarled.

DT stared at her, confused, "A…Sabretron…?"

Copycat snarled and launcher herself at him, claws out. He sidestepped and tripped her. She fell but landed on her feet again before turning around to leer at him. "Cats always land on their feet," she informed him before viciously attacking him again. He could only block and dodge her strikes and when he blocked, his gloves and a bit of his suit got torn up by those sharp claws of hers.

"Beast Boy, take care of Terra. Take her back to the Tower," Robin ordered. He put his belt back on and took out his Bo staff.

Beast Boy nodded and transformed into a pterodactyl, carefully carrying Terra in his talons and flying back to the Tower to give her immediate medical attention.

Cyborg reactivated his sonic cannon and Starfire's eyes glowed, ready for an order from Robin.

"Let's give DT a hand yo!" Cyborg chimed in.

"Yes, let us help our new friend against this naughty cat!" Starfire agreed, powering up her starbolts.

"Couldn't said it better myself," Robin took in a deep breath and shouted out, in a commanding voice, "TITANS! GO!"

Copycat had thrown DT into another car, smashing the windows and advanced on him, dangerously. She grabbed him by the collar and growled in his face, "You and the rest of your kind are going to pay for what you have done…"

"What are you…talking about?" DT said weakly.

Copycat didn't answer. His questions and ignorance enraged her more. She then lashed out at him with her claws.

And met with a barrage of starbolts and a sonic energy beam right in the gut. She was thrown like a rag dog across the street. She was sent sailing before she flipped over and dug her sharp claws into the ground, slowing herself down. She looked up to see the Titans, minus BB and Terra, standing in front of DT, ready for battle.

"Are you okay, DT?" Robin asked.

"Still got some fight in me. Are Beast Boy and Terra fine?" DT asked back.

"Beast Boy has taken friend Terra back to the Tower infirmary for proper treatment," Starfire told him. DT sighed.

"That's good," he said.

"Now, are you ready to kick some butt?' Cyborg grinned.

"Just give me one and I'll start kicking," DT responded with a grin.

"How sweet!" Copycat mocked, wiping an imaginary tear out of the corner of her masked eyes. "Such a touching moment and I forgot my camera!" She then yelled out, "Maybe they'll write it in your obituary, Titans!"

"Is she alright in the head?" DT asked.

"Boy, we've been asking ourselves the same thing," Robin responded.

"Her mental state is clearly questionable," Starfire agreed.

"She's just nuts, DT," Cyborg simplified.

Copycat yawned and stared at her claws in a bored fashion as she placed a hand to her hip. "Hello…? Don't have all day here."

"Well, let's serve it up guys! Titans! Go!" Robin ordered and they all charged together, including DT.

"Time to kick it up a notch!" she did some strange hand movements before shouting out, "ZODIAC FORCE! CAT!" she charged at the charging Titans as her armor began to encase her.

"GIVE HER EVERYTHING YOU GOT TITANS!" Robin yelled out as he threw some freezing disks at the ravaging cat Knight. They froze her arms but she immediately shattered them off with a burst of telekinesis. She reached for her whip and lashed it at Robin, only for Starfire to grab it and yank it out of her hand before throwing a starbolt at her. Copycat crossed her arms in front of herself and blocked the blast, only to be shoulder tackled in the back by Cyborg. Copycat went tumbling across the ground.

Copycat snarled before morphing into an armored Stegasaurus and swinging her spiked tail around. Starfire grabbed it and with all her alien might, flipped the black dinosaur over her shoulder and into the ground. Copycat morphed into a tiger and slashed out at Robin, but he was able to hold her back with his Bo staff, before kicking her in the stomach. She morphed back to human form and launched a starbolt at Robin, only for Starfire to grab Robin and fly him to safety before the blast hit. Copycat began firing starbolts into the air, but was stopped by Cyborg who fired a sonic energy beam into her gut. She went flying into a lamppost, making a dent before dropping back onto the sidewalk. She got back up but felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned.

"Remember me?' said Beast Boy as he swung out his fist and morphed into a gorilla, sending her flying towards Cyborg who was holding a fallen lamp post like a bat.

"Batter up!" Cyborg shouted as he swung the bat out, hitting Copycat in the back and sending her flying out of the city. The bionic teen soon ran towards the changeling, "Whassup, BB!" he gave Beast Boy a high five.

"Hey Cy," Beast Boy grinned back, "Terra's fine by the way."

"That's good," Cyborg grinned.

The best friends' celebration was cut short as the ground beneath them exploded and out came Copycat on a tall pillar of rock and dirt. She jumped down and administered a split kick into the two teen heroes, sending them crashing onto the ground. She had her Feline Claws on and was ready to tear the two Titans to pieces. She snarled, enraged, and swung her sharp clawed gauntlets down, starting with Cyborg. He blocked with his arm and some of the metal got slashed off, exposing his circuitry. He stared at it in disbelief and looked up to see Copycat's other claw speeding towards his face.

A wild boar slammed into her from the back and sent her reeling before morphing into a hawk that flew high into the air.

Copycat got back her footing and shook her head. She then saw a large shadow forming under her before she looked up. "Crap."

A large whale smashed down on her, causing a powerful shockwave that flipped a few cars over and almost made the buildings around them bounce off their foundation. The other Titans cheered as Beast Boy morphed into his human form. Expecting to see himself lying on Copycat, he only saw a large gaping hole and an exact imprint of the cat Knight in the centre. He scratched his head.

"Guys…where did the crazy cat lady go?" he asked.

DT then shouted out, "Beast Boy! Look out!" he ran over and pushed Beast Boy onto the ground.

"What's the matter DT?" Beast Boy asked, annoyed.

"Look at your arm," DT told him and Beast Boy gasped as apart of it had been ripped, no, slashed off and there were bleeding claw marks on his arm. DT said, helping Beast Boy up, "I think she turned herself invisible."

"Right you are…DT was it?" Copycat's voice rang around. The Titans stood in a circle, facing out and glanced around the surroundings with their eyes. Copycat was nowhere, in sight, but she was there nonetheless.

"Scary, isn't it Titans?' Copycat's voice purred. "Not knowing where your enemy is…?"

Starfire's eyes were wide with fright. She looked around, frantically, trying to find the source of the voice. Even Cyborg tried using his robotic eye to find her.

"Don't bother Cyborg…" Copycat purred, "I hooked my armor up to a cloaking device so not even your radar or your heat sensors can detect it. Pretty smart, no? Slade-sama gave it to me."

"Why are you working for Slade? Do you even know what he's planning?" Robin's eyes narrowed as he attempted to pinpoint Copycat.

"Don't know…" the evil Knight purred, "Don't care. As long as I get Draco's head on a platter…I'm happy."

"Why do you hate Draco so much?" Robin asked.

"Why don't you ask him?" Copycat retorted, "I know he'll be glad to tell you," she giggled, "But alas, he won't have the chance to once you're all dead…"

She then reappeared in the centre of the circle. The Titans realized this too late as she lashed out with her claws, but they were able to leap away, although with some injuries. Starfire held claw marks on her back and they were bleeding, Robin's cape had been ripped apart, Cyborg's back circuits were exposed and Beast Boy's back was totally exposed with new wounds. They all looked up and gasped.

Copycat's claws had impaled right through DT. She grinned under her helmet, totally satisfied. She pulled the alien cyborg's pain stricken face close to her helmet covered own and whispered, "It was nice knowing you…" she twisted and he flinched. "Got anything to say?" she twisted her claws again. His only response was to bring up his arms and cross his bracelets together.

What followed after was a bright flash of light.

To Be Continued…

ZK Chromedragozoid: Is DT gonna die? Will Copycat destroy the Titans? Stay tune to have these questions and more answered.


	38. PT038: The Band

Part 38: The Band

Shadow glanced at the guitar that was leaned up against the wall of his office. Feeling bored and tired of all his paperwork, he decided to kick back a bit. He summoned the He electric guitar, which was black and purple and had an axe-like shape with a skull shape on the head and began strumming. He began reminiscing about the band…the band…

THE BAND!

He stared at the guitar, a look of sudden realization on his face. He had just struck an epiphany! Running his hand cautiously through his disguised black hair, he suddenly smiled.

Awhile back, 2 years ago to be exact, he, Pluto and Draco had started a rock band called "The Knights". It was meant as a joke really, but a club owner had heard them play at the school and asked if they were interested to play. They had accepted. They were underage, of course, but the club catered to the young crowd as well. No alcohol allowed. That was what convinced them. Shadow had been the lead guitarist and vocalist while Pluto and Draco supported on bass and drums, respectively. He suddenly had an idea. It was short notice but it would feel good to live those days again. The screaming fans, the pulsating lights, the sounds. Hell, he could even get a record deal.

He shook his head. He told himself not to get _too_ carried away. However, it would be fun and he did miss it. He flipped open his cell phone and called up Pluto.

* * *

Pluto was in the lab while Blackfire snuck up behind him. He was looking over the blueprints again. Suddenly, the black haired Tamaranean female grabbed him by the shoulders, spun him around, and claimed his lips with hers. Shocked, his hands began moving erratically, knocking things off the table.

Including his SB Cell. The phone fell open and the ringing stopped.

* * *

Shadow tapped his fingers on the tabletop in an annoyed fashion before turning hanging up. _He must be busy_, he thought. At that moment, Raven walked in. She was dressed in black midriff t-shirt with a raven drawn in red as well as a black leather skirt with a chain hanging from the belt and dark blue leggings. She wore a pair of combat boots on her legs. Around her wrists were bracelets and bangles. The pendant that Shadow had crafted for her hung from her slim neck. She had a normal skin tone as in civilian form, but her hair remained the same shade of purple that she'd always known. She noticed the guitar and decided to make a comment,"Taking a break, Shadow?' she asked him.

He was immediately off his chair and by her side, kissing and nuzzling her neck and cheek, "I am now, luv…" he hissed, almost sounding like a purr. Raven rolled her eyes but leaned her head up so that he could claim her lips. He then cradled her In his arms and walked them, not around, but through the desk, courtesy of Shadow's powers. He then sat her on his lap and began running his hands through her hair as he kissed her, possessively. Raven returned the kisses as her hands ran up and down his chest and around his neck. Men in business attire, Gothic business attire, somehow had this effect on Raven. Shadow had on a purple silk shirt with a black tie. His pants were deep black and so were his socks and shoes. Raven had to admit, the feeling of silk on her hands felt good and she would love the feeling on her skin…which she did…last night…after Shadow had returned to_ their_ guestroom in the mansion. Mrs. Hasuma/Emiko had arranged for 2 guestrooms, not five. Jinx would be rooming with Draco, naturally, while Blackfire and Pluto shared one of the other two rooms. The last room was for Shadow and Raven. The blankets and sheets of the bed were made of the finest silk. Raven had slept in the nude and when Shadow had come in, he had taken her…taken her like a man would a woman.

Yes, she was a woman. No longer a girl. She had given her treasure to Shadow and didn't regret it, not one bit.

_Wonder how Trigon would be if he found out his precious daughter was no longer a virgin?_ She giggled in her mind. Goosebumps began rising up as she felt his tongue on her neck and his hands under her midriff shirt and…stop!

"Stop!" she told him, pulling away. But he still had his hands holding firmly around her waist. He pouted in that adorable way that was meant for her. There was no way he would pout like that in front of the others or else he would never hear the end of it. His face turned serious and he asked.

"Something the matter luv?" Raven sighed at the concerned and loving tone. Her cheeks were flushed as she stopped panting.

"Let's not get carried away…again…" she said, remembering last night.

He gave her a lecherous smirk, "Oh really…?" he said playfully, "You didn't mind it when I did this…" his hand began reaching up.

SMACK!

Shadow hissed as he felt the red handprint on his pale face. It was more pronounced as his skin was nearly white. Raven had an annoyed look on her face, but was blushing nonetheless. She didn't move from his lap, however.

"Remember the rules, snakeboy. You get fresh with me, when I let you get fresh with me," she told him, firmly.

"Yes, luv," he said. This was why he loved her to begin with; her strong and independent will. Most girls would throw themselves at him knowing how much he was worth. Raven was different. He snaked his hands around her waist and gently leaned up to kiss her cheek, "Forgive me for finding you absolutely ravishing and irresistible."

"Flattery will get you everywhere, Ichijyo," she said to him. She levitated off his lap; earning a moan of protest from her lover, and then asked about the guitar again.

"Oh, you mean this thing? Well, awhile back, me, the mongrel, and Leo started a little band. We called ourselves 'The Knights' (laughs). It was meant to be a little joke, but soon we were performing in a lot of clubs, mostly teenage hang outs, getting paid a lot of cash. However, we've retired from that life."

"Why?" she asked.

"We were mobbed, constantly, at school. Everywhere we went girls would be chasing us, asking for autographs. I think the mutt loved being chased around, Leo I wasn't very sure."

"And you?"

"I had other priorities."

Raven noticed the far off look he had on his face as he gently strummed the strings of the guitar. She then got back on his lap, much to his delight, before whispering something into his ear. His eyes widened and he smiled. Raven always loved that sincere smile he sported whenever he was happy.

"Luv, you're a genius!' he said to her.

"Tell me something I don't know…now come here!" she pulled him to her face by his tie and their lips met in a passionate kiss.

* * *

Emiko walked into the gym to see her son done with his daily exercise regiment. He was muscular but not bulky and he reminded her of his father. He wiped the sweat off his body with a towel that Jinx had handed him. Emiko saw this and smiled. _Some things never change…_she mused, thinking of all the times when she was younger and watched while admiring her husband as he trained. He was so dedicated and it seemed that the trait had passed on to her son. Draco smiled at Jinx and then made his way to the shower while convincing Jinx NOT to follow him in. Emiko giggled. Jinx had spunk, she was forward and wasn't shy, unlike her when she was younger. Jinx gave him a pout but Draco turned away as not to be tempted before making a mad dash towards the showers. Jinx was about to leave the gym when she saw Emiko and bowed, smiling.

"Good afternoon, ma'am," Jinx said respectfully. Emiko bowed back.

"So, how was his training?" Emiko asked as she approached the girl.

Jinx summarized, "Well, first gramps had Leo track me in the maze outside. He found me easy."

Emiko smiled, "His sense of smell must've grown stronger."

Jinx continued, "Then he had him battle several swinging sandbags while being blindfolded."

"To test his sense of hearing, right?" Jinx nodded.

"Well, he did dodge and hit a few…most of the time," the pink haired girl shrugged.

Emiko shook her head, smiling, "Some things just never change. His father was the same way."

"Really? I tried asking Leo about his dad but he doesn't like to talk about it," Jinx replied sadly.

"His father was always a touchy subject with Ryuki. Don't worry, Jen-chan, he'll open up to you soon," Emiko told her, smiling.

"Well, I better get Draco some milk. He always likes to have some after his shower," Jinx said as she ran off towards the kitchen.

Draco walked back into the gym, wearing a white t-shirt and black pants. He was using a towel to dry his hair. He noticed his mother, "Konichiwa, Okaasan," he greeted and bowed. Emiko returned the greeting to her son.

"How was your training?" she asked.

"I'm still a little sore, but I'm okay," he told her.

"Here," Emiko threw her son a bottle of water. He caught it, unscrewed the cap and took in deep gulps.

Emiko took the chance to ask, "So, have you and Jinx been having sex?"

Draco did a spit take.

Draco was choking on the water as he coughed. He wiped the water off his lips and stared at his mother with wide eyes. _I must have heard wrong. I MUST have HEARD wrong!_ He thought.

((I don't know, aibou)) responded Yaminekoryu. ((I think you heard her right.))

Draco ignored the spirit and then asked, "C…Come again…?"

"You know…sex? Or whatever slang term you young ones use for it now," Emiko asked casually.

Draco stuttered, eyes still wide with shock, "Um…um…"

"Well, I know the first time wasn't in your room here when you arrived, right?"

Draco's face turned beet red. He didn't know what to say. "Er…"

"Because the maid would've found bloody sheets and I would've known," she continued.

"Ah…ah…" Draco was speechless.

"So it must've been at that Tower of yours, was it? Did you remember to use protection?" Emiko added. "Because I don't want you to get Jen-chan pregnant. At least, not until you two are properly wedded."

Draco's SB cell rang. _ THANK KAMISAMA!_ "Excuse me, Okaasan?" he picked up the phone and answered, "Hello! Who is this?"

Shadow was on the other end, "Draco? Are you okay?"

"Yeah! I'm fine! What is it?!" Draco said frantically.

"I was wondering if you're interested in putting the band back together?' Shadow asked.

"YES! Yesyesyesyes!" Draco said quickly.

"Okay…bye…" Shadow said.

"Bye!" Draco hung up. He turned to his mother, "So…um…Okaasan…Ja ne?

"Don't think our conversation is over, young man," Emiko said in mock sternness.

Jinx bounded into the room holding a glass of milk, "Here you go, baby," she handed him the glass. He took it, said a quick, "Arigato," before downing the whole thing. He slammed it on a nearby tabletop.

"Let's go, Jinxy-chan!" Draco said as he grabbed his girlfriend's hand and ran with her to where his bike was parked. Emiko raised an eyebrow and smirked.

* * *

Draco was putting on his helmet, but fumbled a bit. Jinx was feeling a bit concerned.

"Baby?" she asked, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine!" he said, "Can we please go, NOW?"

"You seem a bit edgy for some reason," Jinx added.

"I'm not edgy! Who says I'm edgy? What makes you think I'm edgy?" He shouted out, "I'M NOT EDGY!"

"Er…yes you are…" she pointed out.

"Okay…Okaasan…she knows," he told her.

"Knows what?" Jinx asked, tilting her head to the side, making her look adorable.

"About US!" Draco put a lot of emphasis on the last part.

Jinx laughed, "Well duh! We've been dating for awhile now. You did tell her, remember?"

"Not that us. The _other_ us…" he told her. Jinx immediately caught on.

"So she knows we had sex. What's the big deal?' Jinx asked, not fazed.

"It's kinda disturbing, that's the big deal!" he threw his arms up.

"Was she mad?" Jinx asked.

"Strangely…no," Draco answered, "Which is weird, even for her."

"I don't think your mom could get any weirder," Jinx responded.

"Point."

"Well, let's not think about that. Let's get going, kay?" Jinx giggled.

Jinx's giggles lifted his spirits almost immediately. "Okay!" he mounted his Crimson Dragracer, "Hop on, Jinx!" he told her. She did and hooked her arms around his waist whilst leaning her head on his back. He smiled before revving up the engine, kicking off the stand, before speeding out the gate, engines roaring.

"So, why did Shadow call you?" Jinx asked.

"He says he wants to put the band back together," Draco told her.

"What band?" Jinx asked.

"Our band!" Draco laughed.

"You have a BAND!?" Jinx exclaimed.

To Be Continued…

ZK Chromedragozoid: Whaddya think? Too much fluff? Not enough humor?


	39. PT039: The Cat's Fall

Part 39: The Cat's Fall

A pillar of light formed around DT. Copycat's claw was trapped within the pillar. Out of shock from the intense light display, she desperately tried to pull her claw out, but a strange force was stopping her.

_What is this power I sense!_ she told herself. Them, she remembered the second symbol on DT's bracelets. _It can't be!_

Huge bat-like wings burst forth from the pillar as the pillar of light began to subside. The Titans have been shielding their eyes the whole time from the intense glare. The light siin subsided and the Titans slowly opened their eyes.

Copycat also got a good look at DT. The NEW DT.

He was clad in sharper and sleeker looking armor. It was black and purple, with clawed fingertips and blades extending forward attached to the gauntlets. The boots looked like feet with three sharp clawed toes. A pair of bat-like wings spread out from behind him in an intimidating manner. His helmet was even more intimidating as it was designed after a bat's head, with the mouth framing around a red visor that concealed the whole face.

This was NOT the same armor DT wore at the obstacle course.

"Dude! Is that DT?" Beast Boy exclaimed.

"What has happened to our friend?' Starfire asked worriedly.

"I don't know Star," Robin told her, "But something tells me that this might be a good thing."

"He looks cool!" Cyborg said, "And scary at the same time."

DT grabbed Copycat's claw, which was lodged in his chest, and swiftly pulled it out. He then tore the clawed gauntlet off Copycat's hand. Before throwing it over his shoulder. Copycat snarled, and attacked with her other claw, only for it to be intercepted by DT's own clawed gauntlet. The claws crossed and stuck together. Copyvat tried to pull away but she was stuck with nowhere to go. In a blink of an eye, DT's hand found its way around Copycat's throat, gripping tightly, causing her to gag. He then blasted off into the sky, aided by a pair of jet rockets attached to his back.

"Looks like he's taking her for a little ride!" Cyborg summarized, which was true.

DT was carrying Copycat through the air, at super high speed, making the evil cat Knight panic. She shouted out, "LET ME GO YOU STUPID-!" DT did just that and let her go. Copycat screamed, but was able to focus and concentrate in order to use Starfire's powers. She flew up and met DT in the air. DT remained silent as his eyes scrutinized her from behind the opaque red visor.

"HOW DARE YOU HUMILIATE ME!" Copycat screeched as she fired several starbolts at DT. DT effortlessly dodged each one, each starbolt barely hitting him, missing him every time. Copycat decided to use eyebeams, but DT crossed his arms and deflected them. The beams bounced off and hit a nearby car.

The T-Car.

"MY BABY!" Cyborg cried, running over to his pride and joy.

Copycat roared as she flew at DT and grabbed him by the waist. She was going to ram him right through a building. DT, however, remained calm and slammed both his fists, hard, into her back. She let go and DT flew out of her grasp. She rammed herself into the building herself.

DT landed on the ground and looked up from his vantage point at the large hole in the building's structure. Copycat popped out and glared at him, hissing angrily. DT responded by pointing his arms at her, opening his palms, and firing lasers from special crystals in the centre of his palms.

Copycat formed a black energy shield in front of her, courtesy of Raven's power. She then chanted, "Azerath, Metrion, ZINTHOS!" several nearby vehicles, including a dump truck, several cars, a motorcycle, and a tricycle, began glowing with obsidian black energy. Copycat jerked her head and the vehicles immediately piled up on DT. Changing powers, Copycat fired a hex at the pile, blowing it up.

"**DT!**" The Titans exclaimed.

Copycat grinned with morbid satisfaction. She had killed the-WHAT?

A black bat shaped blur shot out from the pile, covered by a layer of fiery purple aura. He focused his power into a violet energy ball and hurled it at Copycay.

Copycat flew off but the ball was still chasing her. She panicked and began flying around in random patterns, often zigzagging around, but the ball still followed her. DT flew up and blocked Copycat's path. Copycat turned and the ball hit her, hard. A massive explosion threw the cat Knight onto the street. DT landed not to far away from her, in front of the burning pile of cars.

"THAT IS IT!" Copycat snarled, "NO MORE MISS NICE VILLAIN!" she drew a card and slid it into her whip, "Feel my power! FINAL VENT!" she unwrapped her whip from around her waist and lashed it out at DT, trapping him and pinning his arms and legs to his body. Techno Panther launched itself from a nearby mirror and skewered DT in the back, before throwing him at Copycat. Copycat got ready with a pair of claws.

"So long sucker…DARK NOVA-" her attack was unable to finish as a few explosive disks blew up at her feet. She had forgotten about the Titans.

DT tore away the whip and kicked Techno Panther away before flipping back to his feet.

Copycat glared at the Titans. They had her surrounded. Cyborg had his sonic cannon aimed at her, Starfire's hands were glowing with green starbolts, Robin had his Bo staff ready, and Beast Boy was in the form of a lion.

The odds were against her, but she was not going to give up.

With a loud roar, she proceeded to attack each and one of the. She tunneled into the ground. The Titans began looking around.

"Where'd she go?" Cyborg asked

Copycat burst out behind him and was about to attack, when an explosive birdarang his her in the faceplate. She was then blasted by Starfire before being slashed across the chest by Beast Boy. She staggered, changing tactics. She morphed her hand into a sonic cannon and aimed, only for it to be melted by a concentrated starbolt blast from Starfire. She glared at her before morphing into a gorilla and leaping up to crush her, only for a mountain goat to ram into her stomach. She rolled onto the ground and then stopped, glaring at the Titans.

"Give up now?" Robin asked.

"NEVER!" Copycat snarled and went to attack him. However, the Titans were prepared. Cyborg and Starfire blasted her at the same time, shattering most of her armor. Beast Boy then morphed into a horse, galloped up to her, before turning around and kicking her helmet off with his powerful back legs. Copycat staggered, holding her throbbing head, only to have legs frozen by Robin's freeze disk. DT was in the air and began firing energy disks that slashed at her armored body as well as breaking the ice. She fell on her hands and knees, shaking.

Copycat didn't like this. She was being beaten!

"NO!" she called for all the powers she had copied and attempted to attack the Titans

Big mistake! She suddenly felt spasms of pain go through her body. She fell on her knees and began holding herself, screaming in pure rage and pain. What was going on? How could this have happened?

She then remembered her one weakness: She wasn't supposed to use too many powers at once.

Red lightning crackled around her body as she cried out in pain. The Titans stepped back from Copycat as she was…what was happening to her?

She blew up, right in front of them, in a dome of red energy. The Titans ran away from the explosion, trying to steer clear. Starfire carried Robin by his arms while Beast Boy carried Cyborg as a horse. DT flew away, not looking back.

After the smoke and dust subsided, the Titans saw a crater with a broken Copycat in it. She was without her armor and was clad in the damaged Slade-suit. Robin went down the hole to arrest her, but was interrupted by a loud gunshot. Looking up, he saw three teenagers; two blonde boys and a white haired girl, wearing masks and Slade uniforms. They were Grant, Joey and Rose.

"I don't think so, Robin!" Grant said with contempt. Rose and Joey quickly leapt into the hole and grabbed their fallen comrade.

"We won't let you take her!" Rose said sternly.

((If you do, you'll be dealing with us, Team Tartarus!)) Joey added.

"And consider this a warning, Titans. Sladebots! Attack!" Grant commanded.

An army of armed Sladebots immediately leapt out of their hiding places, forcing the Titans into battle. Team Tartarus made their escape, carrying a wounded Copycat.

"You'll be okay Kitty-Kat…" Rose whispered to Copycat.

To Be Continued…

ZK Chromedragozoid: It seems that Copycat underestimated the Titans while at the same time overestimating herself. She went beyond her limits and nearly died because of it. All she needs is some rest and some TLC.


	40. PT040: The Mysterious Watcher

Part 40: The Mysterious Watcher

She was alone and lost…and nearly out of money. _Great_. She was clad in a dirty white shit was tan cargos with black combat boots. She was 13 years old, but looking at her now, she seemed a little short for her age making her look 10. She had dirty blonde hair pulled back in a messy braid with a pair of bangs sticking out that flanked her face left and right. She also wore a black glove over her right hand but not her left, like she was hiding something. Regardless, she was alone, hungry, and in a city she knew nothing about.

She used to live in Gotham, that is, until she lost both her parents in a terrible car accident. She was then sent to live in a foster home with a terrible guardian. She hated the guy and well…she shook her head. Now was not the time to remember those unpleasant memories.

She was sleeping in a box in an alley when she suddenly heard a commotion. Loud noises like shouting and explosions rang through the air like church bells, but not as pleasant. Curiosity overshadowed common sense and she couldn't help but take a peak.

She gasped.

She was seeing the Teen Titans. THE TEEN TITANS, in person, and they were fighting off a girl who had (gasp) the same powers they had. It looked like they were having trouble. She should run, but she didn't move. She wanted to watch the action. She wanted to see the Titans.

It was no secret that she absolutely adored the Teen Titans. Especially Terra and the new one called Shadowcobra. Those two were her favorite for several reasons that will not be mentioned right now. She was amazed by the skill the Titans displayed as they fought. However, she gasped in fear and worry when the evil villain they were fighting was beating them with ease. She wanted to shout out and cheer for them, give them confidence, but she continued to hide, out of fear that the villain may come after her.

She let out a gasp when the villain grabbed Terra by the head and making her bleed into her hair. Terra was screaming. She was scared. The girl who was watching this did not understand. Were heroes supposed to be scared? They were only human, in a sense, but were they supposed to be scared?

They were. The other Titans were afraid the villain, whose name was Copycat, from what I've heard was going to hurt Terra. The villain told the Titans to lower their weapons. The girl thought she was going to let Terra go.

She was wrong.

Copycat only laughed and was about to claw Terra's face off when she was tackled in the back by someone knew. The observer did not know who this was but silently thanked him for saving Terra. The green one, Beast Boy, took Terra away. She watched, curious and excited, as the Titans attacked the villain as a team. Beast Boy then came back. She was hoping that the Titans would win as the evil cat villain was being beaten effortlessly. But, she had to know that the tides of battle would change as Copycat don a suit of armor and skewered the new boy with her claws.

No!

She was angry now and wanted to help. However, what could she do? There was nothing she could do but watch, was it? She did learn something from the old books but she had broken a rule and didn't want to do it again.

Suddenly, there was a blinding light and she covered her eyes. It was like the sun, only brighter and more intense. When the light died down, she opened her eyes.

She let out another surprised gasp.

The one in Copycat's claws had changed. He was wearing armor that had a bat motif to it. He looked scary, but she knew he was good. She fought back and now Copycat was at a disadvantage as she was attacked. It was five to one, in the Titans favor. The cat villain let out a loud roar and looked like she was about to attack the Titans with everything she got.

But something went wrong.

The cat villain froze and then her body crackled with electricity before she blew up. The observer backed away into the alley so she wouldn't be caught in the blast. The red glow subsided and she peaked out again. She silently cheered as the Titans stood over a large hole. The observing girl was thinking cat villain must be in there. Robin went down to arrest the evil villain.

Then there was a loud noise like a gunshot, making the girl in the alley cover her ears and close her eyes. She cracked her eyes open to see 3 strangers, all clad in armor, carrying the unconscious cat villain whose armor was gone. They said something and disappeared, leaving the Titans to fight several robot commandoes.

She still watched as the Titans fought.

Beast Boy let out a roar while he slashed through several Sladebots as a bear while DT skewered a few with his gauntlet blades. Starfire was blasting them with starbolts as Cyborg used his sonic cannon and fists do the talking. Robin, brave and skillful as always, was using his gadgets and martial arts prowess to beat the robot soldiers down.

The robots maybe many, but the Titans had the power. Of course, the Titans were also getting exhausted. The robots did not get exhausted, and neither was DT. He spread out his wings and flew forwards, slashing a few robots in half with his wings. He then turned around and slashed a head off a bot that was coming up behind Beast Boy. Beast Boy gave him a thumb's up before morphing into a gorilla and smashing in the face of a bot that came up behind DT.

"We're even," Beast Boy told him. DT nodded and proceeded to use his wings and blades to hack his opponents apart.

"HIYAH!" Starfire smashed through several Sladebots with her fists, before hitting them with precise shots of her eyebeams. She then blasted a few into oblivion with a starbolt blast.

Cyborg was being surrounded by Sladebots before they dog-piled him. With a grunt, he sent them flying and started blasted each and every one of them apart.

Robin was using his explosive disks, blowing them up, or using his staff to jab right through their heads. He was getting tired and did not notice a Sladebot coming up behind him.

The girl let out a gasp. No! She would not allow it. She started becoming upset and that was when IT happened.

A transmutation circle appeared beneath her feet and sent out a streak of power at the Sladebot. It did not know what hit it as it was engulfed in some kind of crystal substance. Robin noticed this and saw the trail that led to the alley.

He had seen her. She turned and ran.

"Guys! There's someone else here! I'm gonna go after her!" Robin yelled. "Can you handle it without me?"

"Sure Robby!" Cyborg said as he smashed to bots' heads together.

"Please be careful Robin," Starfire said to him. He nodded and dashed into the alley.

* * *

Idiot! Moron! How could you have done something so stupid? The girl told herself this over and over again. The Titans had seen her and would most probably deem her a threat. Her eyes were closed as tears came out. She was alone and that was all she has known for a very long time. She looked up and a dead end was right in front of her. Nowhere else to run.

"Hey! You there! Stop!" Robin's voice shouted out. She turned and saw Robin coming towards her. She did not know what to do so she curled up into a ball and leaned against the wall. What was the point of running anymore?

"Did you…did you do that…just now?' he asked, coming closer. She nodded. He walked closer and the girl started to get upset. IT happened again. A transmutation circle appeared under her and sent out a surge of energy at Robin. Robin leapt out of the way and watched as the streak turned to crystal and so was the surrounding area around the girl. Robin knew what had triggered it. She was scared.

"Don't be afraid," he said slowly and softly, "I'm not gonna hurt you…" he came closer. She looked up with tearful eyes as he placed his hand on her shoulder. "What's your name?" he asked.

"Re…Renia…" she answered before passing out.

To Be Continued…

Renia was given by an individual called Icefox35. Kudos to you Icefox35!


	41. PT041: Shadowy Doubt

Part 41: Shadowy Doubt

( Titans Tower, Jump City, after the battle with Copycat and the Sladebots)

The Titans were tired and in pain, in more ways than one. Cyborg was repairing himself, after crying a whole hour over his busted T-Car. DT, who had gotten out of his 'Bat Armor' (Which was the name the Titans gave that armor after it showed up. The name they gave the armor DT wore previously at the obstacle was dubbed the 'Tank Armor' since it was armed like a tank) Anyway, the Titans had bandages covering most of their bodies. Starfire had been bandaged where Copycat had struck her. She still had trouble bending over since that place stung. Beast Boy had bandages covering all over his front and back, since he had some bruising and slash wounds as well. Robin was not looking in good shape either. He had checked himself for injuries and he had bruises in the stomach. Terra had bandages wrapped around her head. Her hair still had blood stains in it. She would wash it after a little bit since her head was still sore and it was stinging.

Presently, their fight with Copycat had been the most brutal one they've experienced for awhile. It could be counted as four times as worst as when they had fought Terra, which they didn't mention to her face. DT was okay. The place where Copycat had struck him had healed almost immediately, with no signs of any injuries whatsoever. He was helping Cyborg repair the T-Car.

It felt like a half win and a half loss. They had defeated Copycat, but she still got away with the help of Team Tartarus, which worried Robin. Now Slade had four apprentices. Not good.

There was also another person in the infirmary, who was lying on a cot. Her name, as she had told Robin, was Renia. She was a little short for her age and was dirty. She was also quite skinny, like she hadn't eaten for days. She had passed out in front of Robin, possibly from exhaustion out of displaying her powers, accidentally.

After she woke up, Robin would ask her some questions. Though, even if she did wake up now, he doubted that she'd be in a question answering mood.

"Does it still hurt?" Terra asked her boyfriend.

"I'll live. It's you I'm worried about, Ter," Beast Boy spoke to her in a tender voice. She touched her head.

"I was…I was so scared," Terra admitted, shaking.

"I was scared too," Beast Boy wrapped his arms around her. "I thought she was gonna kill you."

"Not just that…it's just…seeing her…" Terra began to cry, "I saw myself when I was Slade's…apprentice."

"Listen Terra," Beast Boy looked her in the eyes, "You're nothing like that."

"I was," she looked away.

"But not anymore…you're free now…with people who care about you," he stroked her hair. She winced, "Still hurts, huh?"

"A little," she lied. In fact, she hurt like hell. Of course, her training with Slade had taught her how to mask her pain.

"I think we should call Shadow and give him the head's up," Beast Boy took out his communicator, "We can ask him to heal us," he added

"Gar…he's in Japan," Terra reminded.

"Terra, Mirror Portals, remember?" Beast Boy said. He was actually using his brain. Terra was impressed.

"Well…" Terra said nervously.

"I'll call him now," Beast Boy dialed for Shadow's communicator.

( Tokyo, in front of a night club)

Ichijyo was in front of the Night and Die Club. The clean up crew had did well and it was like a fight never occurred in the place at all. Presently, he and the other Titans were carrying their gear. Shadow had a black guitar case strapped to his back with his signature cobra emblem on it. He was wearing a black t-shirt with a bleeding skull on it with gun barrels popping out of the eye sockets and a red rose growing from one of the cracks. He also had on a pair of dark blue jeans and leather shoes with silver straps.

"It's been a long time, hasn't it?" Takada said as he walked up to his friend, carrying a guitar case that carried his bass. He was wearing a midnight blue shirt with a silhouette of a wolf howling to the moon on it. He also wore blue jeans and sneakers.

"I can still remember the last time we performed, Takada," Ichijyo nodded, "The crowd was crazy."

"I know," Leo agreed. His bodyguards were rolling in round cases that contained his drum set. He was holding onto his drumsticks. He was clad in a black and red Chinese shirt with torn sleeves and an open collar. He wore a studded leather choker around his neck and leather pants. On his feet were leather shoes with studded silver buckles. His hair had been tied into a messy ponytail and his hair was totally unruly. "The girls tried to tear my shirt off."

"Speaking of girls," Takada continued, "Where are ours?"

"They went shopping," Ichijyo and Leo answered simply.

"And how about Ron and Kim?" Takada added.

"They'll be here," Leo nodded.

Suddenly, Ichijyo's T-Com beeped. His two friends panicked while Ichijyo just rolled his eyes at their antics. "Relax, people here will just think it's just a new type of handphone or something." He took the communicator out of his pocket and flipped the viewing screen open. There on the screen was Beast Boy and Ichijyo could see Terra out of the corner of the viewing screen. She had a bandage wrapped around her head. "What happened?" Ichijyo demanded.

"Dude!" Beast Boy exclaimed, "You better get here. We need a healer. Better yet, two! Is Raven there with you?"

Ichijyo shook his head, "No. She's out shopping with Jinx and Blackfire. You can just call Raven up, you know?"

"Nah, you're good," Beast Boy continued, "Can you get here, now?"

"I'll be there," Ichijyo flipped the viewing screen of his communicator closed. He turned to Leo and Takada. "The others need me. Can you guys wait a minute?"

"Sure," Leo shrugged. "Why not?"

"It's not like we need to be performing for another 10 minutes or anything," Takada joked.

"Whatever. I'm off," Ichijyo took out his Zodiac Deck and went to look for the closest mirror to jump through.

* * *

"Well, he'll be here," Beast Boy said to Terra.

"Correction," Shadow said as he walked into the infirmary through one of the mirrors. He was clad in his purple and silver armor and black bodysuit. "I'm here." His faceplate split open and he gazed at Terra's wound and Beast Boy's too.

"SHADOW!" Starfire squealed as she tackled the snake Knight onto the floor in a hug. Shadow smiled softly and returned the hug. Robin walked up to him and helped him up.

"Glad to see you back, Shadow," Robin said.

Shadow replied, "It's my duty as a member of this team." He noticed the bandages around Starfire's stomach and his eyes narrowed. "Who did this?" he hissed.

"We sorta had a run in with Copycat on our way to get some pizza," Robin rubbed the back of his head.

Shadow narrowed his eyes. Copycat? As far as he was concerned, the Titans weren't really her targets. Then again, having connection to the Knights was reason enough. He turned to Starfire.

"Come here, Kori," Shadow placed his hands on Starfire's waist. She blushed at the sudden contact and gasped when she felt the white glow from his hands wash over her. He then tore off the bandages, "There, good as new," he smiled. "Next." He touched Robin and he began healing the Titans' leader. Robin felt the bruises disappearing. He then moved on to Terra, removing her bandages afterwards, "You might need to use disinfectant soup to wash you hair." Terra's hair still had some bloodstains in it. He then turned to heal Beast Boy's back. "Just make sure you have someone to watch your back," Shadow joked.

"Dude, did you just make a joke?" Beast Boy laughed.

"No."

"But you just-"

"Never mind Beast Boy. Forget it." Shadow looked around, "Where's Cyborg?"

"He's down in the garage fixing the T-Car with DT," Beast Boy answered.

"DT? Who's DT?" Shadow asked.

"Oh," Starfire floated over, "He is our new friend who I found in a river while we were on a 'nic of pic'," Starfire answered sweetly.

"You mean a picnic, right?" Shadow corrected, "And what do you mean you 'found' him?"

"Starfire found him in a river. He was in pretty bad shape. Do you want to meet him?" Robin said.

"Sure, why not?" Shadow shrugged.

"I shall go and fetch him," Starfire beamed as she flew towards the garage.

Shadow smiled at her retreating form and then noticed a blonde girl lying in one of the beds. He asked, "Who's that?"

"Well, we found her after we beat Copycat and the Sladebots. Her name's Renia," Robin answered. He caught the look from Shadow, "She told me before she passed out."

"She's weak," Shadow diagnosed, "She's skinny and doesn't seem to have had anything to eat for days. Her clothes are extremely dirty."

"Can you heal her?" Robin asked.

"What's there to heal?" Shadow replied, "Just give her something to eat when she wakes up. By the way, shouldn't she be in the hospital?"

"Well…this girl isn't exactly normal."

"She has powers?"

"She turned one of the Sladebots into a crystal statue."

"Impressive," Shadow placed his fingers on her temple and closed his eyes.

"What are you doing?' Robin asked.

"I'm scanning her mind," Shadow said. He then removed his fingers, "She's had a very hard life. Go easy on her when she wakes up and try to ease up on the questions, okay?"

"Yeah, thanks for the advice," Robin said. Shadow knew that Robin was a paranoid and suspicious guy. So, for the sake of Renia, he hoped he wouldn't immediately demand an answer when she woke up. He lightly touched her right hand and sighed sadly, "And don't ask her to remove her glove. It's personal to her."

"Okay," Robin was confused by that request.

DT sported a new hairstyle. His blue hair was slightly spiked in the front and spiked to the sides in the bottom half of the back. He was helping Cyborg repair the T-Car and proved himself to be quite skillful in mechanics. Starfire had flown down and asked, "Friend DT? Would you like to meet a friend of ours? He had just arrived here to help heal us!"

"Shadow's here?" Cyborg asked from under the car.

"Who's Shadow?" DT asked.

"I shall introduce you to him. Follow me!" she grabbed his wrist and flew him with her up to the infirmary.

DT arrived in the infirmary with Starfire. Right now, he was staring at the back of the guy's helmet. He was wearing purple and silver armor worn over a black bodysuit. The guy then turned and they both had a good look at each other. "Friend Shadow!" Starfire yelled out happily. "May I introduce you to friend DT!"

Shadow's eyes widened slightly with shock but he was shook out of his shock when DT extended his hand.

"Hello, I'm DT," DT introduced himself. Shadow then took the hand and shook it. He noticed the bracelets. He saw the symbols of the Deathtrons and Sabretrons.

"I'm Shadowcobra, but my friends call me Shadow," Shadow said politely.

"So, you're one of the other Titans that left for Tokyo, huh?" DT asked pleasantly.

Shadow shrugged, "Yes…and I need to go now. The others are waiting for me. It was nice to meet you." He turned around and walked pass Robin. He whispered, "Be careful with him. He isn't as he seems."

Robin did not know what he had meant and was about to ask when Shadow leapt through the mirror hanging on the wall. DT was the only one surprised.

"He does that sometimes," Robin said to DT.

"He told you not to trust me, didn't he?" DT said to Robin. Robin was about to deny it when DT pointed to his ear, "I have enhanced hearing."

"You have to forgive him, friend DT," Starfire said sadly, "Shadow is naturally untrusting of others. But he is a good friend nonetheless."

"I had the feeling he didn't like me," DT said.

"If he didn't like you, he would've thrown you out the window," Robin explained, "Maybe when he comes back with the others he will be in a better mood."

"Hopefully," DT sighed, "Well, I think Cyborg needs my help. See you all later." He walked back towards the elevator, intending to go back to the garage.

Starfire and Robin looked at their retreating friend before Robin said, "Hey DT! Head's up!" Robin threw him something. DT turned and grabbed it. It was a Titans Communicator, "Consider yourself a member of the team!"

"Thanks Robin!" DT smiled.

Shadow leapt out of the mirror and his armor disappeared. He whispered the words, "It's him."

To Be Continued…

ZK Chromedragozoid: Will the performance be okay? What secrets do Renia have involving her glove? Why doesn't Shadow trust DT? Stay tune for the answers.


	42. PT042: The Gig

Part 42: The Gig

Ichijyo exited the bathroom and sighed deeply. DT. Why was DT in Jump City? Furthermore, how did he arrive on Earth without the Justice League noticing, knowing fully well that the Watchtower would be alerted by an alien craft. Then again, Deathtron technology was quite advanced, so there was no doubt that a cloaking device had been used. That, or an incompetent person had been put on monitor duty. Either way, it didn't change the fact that DT was here on Earth.

He recognized the bracelets DT wore from one of his father's memories. DT, or Double-Trouble, was one of many Deathtron double agents that would've been used to infiltrate the Sabretrons during the Great War of Orion, which would account for the bracelets, allowing the wearer to change into a Sabretron and also into a Deathtron form. That was at least several decades ago. Nonetheless, the project was aborted and the subjects were placed in suspended animation.

But if that was the case, how did DT get to Earth? And if he was a Deathtron double agent, why hadn't he recognized Ichijyo? He did bear a remarkable resemblance to his father. Well, right now was not the time to think of these things. He had other problems already. The thief, who he knew was Masaru, hadn't shown himself after stealing the bike. Obviously, someone with that kind of technology would be tempted to show off, right?

Even if it was Misha's little brother.

He sighed. Masaru always hated him, and Misha's death had not been easy for him too. The boy had even cursed Ichijyo for taking his sister away from him.

_I curse myself too…_Ichijyo thought sadly, eyes closed. _Never even got the chance to…_his eyes then snapped open. He scanned the room and noticed a familiar face at one of the seats. Ichijyo smirked. The disguise was not fooling him. He quietly walked towards the table. _Now would be a good time to talk…_

Ekelo was in the club again, wearing an illusion spell that hid his true form from others. He was taking sips of vodka as he enjoyed the quiet and morbid environment of the Goth club. The depressing music made him feel…realistic. The world was a depressing place and he knew it too. Places like this expressed this opinion. He took another sip and sighed.

"Good evening, Ekelo," Ichijyo said pleasantly as he took a seat opposite the half demon.

Ekelo lightly nodded, "I knew there was no fooling you, Shadow."

"It comes with the practice I've had over the years to sense out magical energies," Ichijyo leaned over, "So tell me, what are you doing here? I thought you never showed up in the same place twice in the same week? What happened to your usual pattern?"

Ekelo put his glass down and stared Ichijyo in the eye, "I know what this is about. It's about Raven, isn't it?"

Ichijyo raised an eyebrow and leaned back again, crossing his arms, "Yes, yes it is. So we can skip the small talk and go straight to the point."

"Ask away, my friend," Ekelo began, "I have all eternity."

"What are your feelings for Raven?" Ichijyo asked.

"Not much for being subtle, aren't you?" Ekelo retorted.

"Just answer the bloody question!" Ichijyo said, irritated by Ekelo nonchalance.

Ekelo sighed. "She's a friend."

"You lie," Ichijyo narrowed his eyes.

"How do you know that?"

"I'm an empath," he continued, "I'll ask again, what are your feelings for Raven?"

"Jealous, Vampangel?" Ekelo responded. Ichijyo's eyes narrowed. "I'm right, aren't I?"

"What of it then?" Ichijyo hissed.

"To be straight, Raven is a very good friend of mine," Ekelo answered.

"Were you aware of her feelings for you?" Ichijyo prodded.

"I was…for awhile. She was the only company I had in my travels for a very long time. I would usually travel on my own. However, I felt a certain…connection with her," Ekelo took another sip of his drink.

"Because of your nearly identical destinies?' Ichijyo asked.

"You know about that? Then you know what will happen?" Ekelo asked back.

"I do," Ichijyo hissed, "And I will stop it."

Ekelo smiled lightly, "I see why Raven loves you and why you love her too. You're both strong willed people, even for being what you are."

"It's easier for you two. You're at least half human…I'm not," Shadow said the last part like a whisper.

"Being human means that you still have a soul, Ichijyo," Ekelo told him.

"I know…" Ichijyo sighed, "My mother told me that a lot…and she's right."

"She is," Ekelo agreed.

"Back to the topic, so…why did you separate?" Ichijyo asked.

"Raven and I had been traveling together for a long time and we were attacked by my father's minions for too long. I just had to let her go since she would've gotten hurt. Therefore, one night, I left, without a word," Ekelo admitted.

Ichijyo's eyes widened, "You left her alone?"

"It was the only way to keep her safe from the demons hunting after me," Ekelo looked the Snake Knight in the eye, "Would you have done the same thing, knowing that just being in your presence put her life at risk?"

Ichijyo was silent. His eyes looked down to the ground, his bangs hiding his eyes, "Yes…as long as she was safe…I would be happy."

"Then you understand. Besides, I prefer being alone," Ekelo stated.

"Don't you get tired of being alone?" Ichijyo asked.

"I got used to it," Ekelo replied to his question.

"So did I…for awhile…but my life was empty without people to share it with. Unwittingly, I sought out friends…I don't know if my decision was either a blessing in disguise or a curse…" Ichijyo chuckled.

"And now?" Ekelo asked.

"I'm still trying to figure that out!" Ichijyo laughed lightly. "I thought being with Leo and Takada was bad, but being with the Titans was like nothing I could've ever imagined!"

"Raven must feel the same way," Ekelo nodded.

"Yeah," Ichijyo continued, "She still has feelings for you, you know?"

"She does?" Ekelo was surprised.

"And…I don't know what to do. You left her before she could attain closure with you. She may have forgotten you, overtime, with my help, but seeing you again brought out all those emotions back," Ichijyo told him.

"So what do you want me to do?" Ekelo inquired

"Talk to her…just talk to her…so she can move on with her life…with me," Ichijyo looked away, ashamed. He had sounded selfish, hadn't he? "She'll be here soon to see me and the others perform. Please stay so you can talk to her again, okay?"

Ekelo seemed to think about it for a minute before he agreed, "Alright. I'll do it."

Ichijyo felt a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Now all he had to do was to get the other thousand lifted as well. No one said that being a Zodiac Knight, a Vampangel, a Deathtron Commander, a Teen Titan and running a company was easy. Oh well…one step at a time then. He stood up and said to Ekelo, "I'm glad we had this chat."

"Me too," Ekelo nodded.

"Oh and if you see Leo again, try not to insult him too much," Ichijyo added.

Ekelo shrugged, "Not promising anything. He's too perky for my taste."

Ichijyo shook his head, "He just has a sunny disposition. If you hate him, I don't think you'd like Kori much." He then turned and left towards the stage.

Ekelo watched him go and questioned, "Who's Kori?"

"Yo, Ichijyo!" Takada called out to his Gothic friend. "Ready to rock the house?"

Ichijyo sighed and answered, "Yes, I am."

"By the way, where are the girls?" Leo looked around.

"Right Here!" Blackfire called out loudly. The boys' turned their attention to the girls and gasped.

Blackfire was in an extremely skimpy black tube top with some silver on the top and bottom. You could see a bit of her cleavage and all of her stomach. Also, she had on a pair of EXTREMELY black short shorts that showed off her legs, which were covered in fishnet stockings. She also had on a pair of stylish black knee high boots.

Takada's jaw dropped and his eyes bugged out while his tongue hung out of his mouth, drool falling to the floor.

Jinx was dressed in a black sailor fuku (Japanese schoolgirl uniform) with a pink collar and short pleated skirt. She also had on thigh length black and blue striped stockings and black shoes. Her hair had been done up the usual way, except she exchanged her black scrunchies with black bow ribbons. She was also sucking on a lollipop, adding to the desired effect.

Leo was staring at her with his green eyes wide open and his pupils dilating. Jinx licked on the lollipop, making Leo's face go extremely red; blood red. He would've fainted if Ichijyo hadn't kicked him in the shin. (Ow!)

Well…Raven was wearing…a Gothic Lolita dress. Trust me, to Ichijyo, that was hot and he was perspiring a lot from his reddened face. It made her look, well, cute and hot (to him) at the same time. It was a good thing he had perfect control of his emotions and powers (Yeah right! He looks like he'd be ready to blow!) Or else a lot of bad things would happen from his over fueled shadow powers (Actually, a couple got freaked when their shadows came to life. Damn, Shadow was nervous as heck! Well, when you got a hot girlfriend…well back to the story)

Takada had manage to pull his tongue back and grabbed his chest, "YOWZA!" he howled.

"Good to know that a man here knows how to appreciate pretty women," Blackfire teased, while winking. Several guys gave her catcalls and wolf whistles. However, a murderous glare from Takada put a stop to that. (Wow, Pluto scary and he hasn't built anything yet. That has to be a record)

"Jinx!" Leo stared her up and down, "You look…well…you look GREAT!" he complimented her, the best he could, stuttering as he did.

"Want a taste?" she purred, popping the lollipop out of her mouth before she kissed him on the lips. Steam was fuming out of his ears and he was ready to faint. Her flirting was very affective on his (nearly) innocent mind.

Ichijyo shuffled in his stance. He rubbed the back of his neck nervously and complimented, "I like the dress."

"Those two talked me into it. Though, I have to admit that I kinda like it," Raven blushed.

"Gothic Lolita is a very popular style around here. Don't be surprised if you see other girls dress up like this too," he replied.

Raven leaned up and whispered, with a seductive voice, "Maybe later you can _help_ me out of it." She blew into his ear and it made him shudder. His face was nearly as red as Leo's and his teeth were chattering.

"Well," Ichijyo started to calm down, "We better get up on stage!"

"Yeah!" Takada agreed.

"Wish us luck girls!" Leo said to them, "Especially you my naughty little schoolgirl…" Jinx giggled and kissed him again for good measure. He twirled his drumsticks expertly in his fingers before they stopped in his fist.

Ichijyo and Takada got on stage and took out their instruments as well. Takada had a blue bass guitar with several silver wolves painted on the surface. The two hooked their instruments to the speakers and looked at each other knowingly. Leo, their drummer, leapt onto the stage and then did a flip, landing behind his drums.

"Show off!" Takada shouted.

"You're just jealous because I have style!" Leo called back.

Ichijyo rolled his eyes. He stood in front of the microphone, guitar in hand, and prepared to sing. Leo started the beat with his drums before Takada began with his bass. Ichijyo bobbed his head a few times, taking in the rhythm, before he started singing. It was a gothic Japanese love song.

(Okay, I don't know any gothic Japanese love songs. So, I'll just describe it. The song is called 'Broken Hearted Reassembled'. I made it up. I might want someone else to write the lyrics. BTW, Ichijyo wrote it)

The Titan girls were captivated by their performance. Raven had never seen or heard Ichijyo sing before and was glad for this chance. Jinx was equally impressed as Leo put power and passion into his drumming. Her heart began to beat faster and faster, like the drums.

"Wow…" she purred. She nearly fainted when he winked at her.

Blackfire watched as her Knight in shining armor strummed his heart out on the bass. It was unbelievable. She had hit the jackpot. He was not only hot, but also a genius (a careless genius) and a musician. And it was true that (some) girls do dig musicians.

But the best part was Ichijyo's singing. He was pouring all his emotions into the song. It was both passionate and depressing. Soon it was a guitar solo performed by him and Raven swore he was staring straight at her.

Correction, he really was staring at her. Their eyes met and she was blushing as he blew her a kiss.

Soon, the performance was over and the whole club rang with the applause of all the patrons. Some even lit up lighters and waved them in the air.

The band, the Knights, bowed and stepped off the stage to get some refreshments. As soon as they stepped off the stage, they were immediately swarmed by girls (their fans). The Knights' girlfriends were none too happy with this.

"GET OFF HIM! HE'S MINE!" Jinx screeched.

"YOU WANT SOME OF THIS GIRLS? BRING IT!" Blackfire practically roared.

Raven was glaring daggers at the fangirls while a dark aura surrounded her, adding to her already intimidating presence. The fans backed off.

"Thanks girls!" Ichijyo breathed out.

"That was scary!" Leo admitted, "I think one of them smacked my butt."

"I don't know. I kinda liked it," Takada added, earning a glare from his girlfriend, "I mean…uh…your ass is the only one I wanna smack!"

Leo, Jinx, Raven and Ichijyo stared at him.

"That's so sweet!" Blackfire wrapped her arms around him and gave him a big wet smooch. Takada's eyes glazed over as they slid close.

"That was amazing! I didn't know you could play like that!" Jinx said to Leo.

"Well, live and learn," Leo shrugged.

"Was that song…for me?" Raven asked Ichijyo.

"Yes…" Ichijyo wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her into an embrace, nuzzling her neck, "It was…"

It seemed that this night would be a good one. Nothing could spoil the moment. However, Murphy's Law had other plans.

To Be Continued…

ZK Chromedragozoid: How was that? Good or bad? Well, the next chapter will be all action with demonic fights and stuff. Just stay tune!

Devan, the next chapter is all yours. Kudos to letting me use Ekelo!


	43. PT043: Molock Attacks

Part 43: Molock Attacks

No one would have expected to what would happen next. How could they? Even the minds of humans could not truly understand to how things could go from good to bad to nightmarish and how fast it could happen.

The only one who could truly understand the way fate worked was Ekelo, and since the mentioning of the half-demon; the character came flying into the scene now.

By the mention of flying into the scene wasn't a figure of speech meaning that he appeared out of nowhere or he melded from the floor using his powers. He came flying into the scene, literally.

Ekelo landed in front of the group as his spell was broken and his form revealed. Leo would have taken the moment to pummel Ekelo had he not been so shocked and perplexed at what had brought this about. But soon the answer came as the crowd began to part way for someone. To see this sight it would be almost as if Moses was parting the crowd like he had done the Red Sea to lead his people across to the other land.

However, this being was far from a prophet. He wasn't even in any relevance of the word good or pure of heart. He was, by far, the most sadistic, feared, cunning and viscious being to ever walk the face of the earth.

Ekelo didn't stay down for long as the second he was sent to the ground, he skidded to a stop and then flung himself back to his feet.

The being came forth and the Titans were able to view him fully. His entire skin was bone white and no hair was present on his scalp or anywhere else on his body that could be seen. His entire head looked more like a white skull. His eyes were strange to anyone else; his irises were glowing yellow with red pupils and pitch black sclera. His armor chest plate was a mixture of dark red and pitch black. In the center chest piece was a medallion of some sort that had some kind of glowing red demonic symbol. On both his forearms he wore black and red gauntlets with white skulls on the front. A pair of red and black armored boots was seen as well with white skull emblems on each knee guard. To top the look off, a sword was strapped to his back; what it was there for the Titans may never live long enough to find out.

Ekelo looked at the others behind him and said, "Get out of here…now." The half-demon spoke it in a firm tone telling them that he was serious.

"Like we're going to leave you alone with this guy," said Blackfire as she stepped forward.

"So let me guess, another Lieutenant?" asked Jinx wondering who this was. She knew that he wasn't human despite his human features but something about him told her that he was much more powerful than a mere Lieutenant.

"I am no underling mortal. I am Molock," said the demon finally revealing his identity. Ichijyo and Raven tensed up not knowing at all what this being was capable of.

During the time Raven had traveled with Ekelo, she knew very little of Molock but knew that he had to be powerful. Anyone with the title of High General of Hell had to be powerful, but _how_ powerful was the question.

Ichijyo knew of Molock's reputation and knew of how destructive he was. But how powerful he was and what he was capable of Shadow had no idea. He had only heard rumors and stories here and there. The imposing visage of this creature was enough to send shivers up the Snake Knight's spine.

Ekelo did not know much either, but he knew that if he would have to fight Molock, he would have to give it everything he had and much more.

"You're Molock? I thought you'd look more intimidating," said Blackfire as she sounded unimpressed by what she was seeing. But then again, what should she feel? She had no idea of this being's destructive capabilities and so far she was just making assumptions based on what she was seeing.

However, what she was about to learn was that things were not always what they seem.

"How predictable," said Molock in a deep intimidating voice that sounded more spectral than demonic, "You mortals always seem to think that everything in power has to do with sheer size. There are beings that are smaller than me and are capable of rendering planets in half with a single attack. Not like I can do the same, but I can bring this planet to its knees single handedly if I wished it so."

Blackfire's eyes widened as she tensed up ready for an attack as well as the others. They had no idea what to expect from this guy, "Hey Ekelo, you know anything that can help us?"

The question came from Leo. Even though he didn't like Ekelo at all; he had to know what he was up against.

"Sorry, never faced him before," said Ekelo, having regretted the decision of not trying to find out any weaknesses or the amount of power this guy had.

"You know that old saying you mortals have? 'Big things come in small packages'? Well in my case, big power can come in a small package," said Molock and as to demonstrate he attacked.

* * *

Outside of the club Kim and Ron had arrived outside and were excited to be able to see Ichijyo, Takada and Leo in a band.

"Do you think the show will be great KP?" asked Ron as he looked at Kim. He was excited about being able to see a band whose members he knew personally. After all, how many people could actually say "I'm friends with rock stars!"?

"Knowing those three, they'll probably bring the house down," replied Kim, not knowing what to expect but still excited as well.

Suddenly Takada crashed through the wall causing the civilians to panic and get as far away as possible. Kim and Ron just dodged as soon as the wall exploded and tried to keep the dust out of their lungs.

Takada got up slightly dazed as he wobbled back and forth on his feet. His vision cleared before noticing Kim and Ron, "Yo whassup?"

The two sweatdropped not sure at all to what had happened just now. But immediately, Takada was plowed into the ground as soon as Blackfire flew into him and the two got tangled up. The others came flying out of the hall either one-by-one or at the same time.

The last one flew backwards and almost hit a parked car. However, he used his hands to flip himself upwards and landed on the roof of the car. However a red lightning bolt came out of the giant hole that the Titans and the new guy had exited. It jettisoned towards the figure on the parked car and he had enough time to fling himself forward off of the car. However, while he did escape the explosion, he didn't escape the shockwaves that came after as he was thrown forward through the air.

He did a front flip and landed on his feet but had to go on one knee to keep from falling on the ground face first.

Kim and Ron looked at him for a moment before he spoke, "Ekelo," said the young man introducing himself to the two before he added, "I don't have time to explain what's going on."

"Indeed you don't boy," said Molock as he charged forward and hit Ekelo with such might that the half demon went flying backwards and into a brick wall going through it.

Molock turned his head and ducked under a kick that was sent at his head by Kim. He was about to retaliate before he teleported away from a blast of fire from Leo.

Molock appeared right in front of the Dragon Knight and kicked him in the stomach knocking the wind out of him. He then grabbed him by the hair and threw him behind his shoulder as if he was a piece of garbage.

He turned around and stretched out an open palm towards Leo as a red lightning bolt shot out of his palm and hit Leo in the back making him yell in pain.

Ichijyo came forward and sent a telekinetic blast towards Molock. It had no effect whatsoever and Molock replied with a sadistic grin on his face, "You call THAT telekinesis? Here's how it's done!"

At that moment, Molock thrust his left arm out towards Ichijyo with his palm wide open. Immediately, a blast of telekinetic energy came out blowing Ichijyo back like a rag doll. In addition, anything else that was in the area in front of him was also blasted back.

All of the Titans, Ekelo and Team Possible were thrown back as well. They also had to try and not get crushed by the flying debris while trying to stay alive.

As soon as they got their footing, Molock was already there as he sent a punch straight towards Ichijyo's jaw. Molock followed up with a left hook that went towards Ichijyo's stomach knocking the wind out of him and nearly making him regurgitate his food.

Kim came in as she activated her watch and her suit covered her body. She attacked Molock with a flying kick only to have him dodge and counter with a sharp kick to her crotch. Normally such an attack would not hurt a female, but since the strength from which the demon put forth in the kick it hurt just as much as a male.

Ron activated his own black and red battle suit and attacked next with a back fist strike. However, Molock just blocked the attack as he grabbed his wrist and flung him off of the pile that had accumulated during Molock's telekinetic blast.

Ron was flung at the group that was standing there. Jinx gave a smile as she sent a hex wave at the pile that was mainly cars making it explode with Molock on it.

"I hope that hurt," said Leo as he rubbed his back where a black spot was.

A figure became visible from the flames as the figure came out revealing to be unharmed and unscathed, "To tell you the truth; that felt quite refreshing, like an outdoor breeze if you will."

The others were slack jawed. They half expected his armor to be at least singed but there wasn't a scratch on him. It was as if this guy was Superman. But, then again, Molock could drive Superman into the ground with little effort.

"I take it from your slack jawed expressions that you have no idea to what you are up against," said Molock with a smirk plastered on his face. There was nothing more that he liked than being pitted against beings who knew nothing of what they were up against. Because of it, it gave him the greatest pleasure of all; being able to spread pain to those that needed to be taught to fear his power.

A ball of red demonic energy formed in his hands and he flung it at the group. They were able to dodge. However, they did not know of what would happen. It sailed pass them and hit a building creating a powerful explosion, which destroyed the glass and the building completely.

They were about to retaliate until Molock was upon Jinx and kneed her hard in the stomach. She keeled over as a foot came crashing into her face and felt a hand grabbing onto one of her pigtails. She was flung to the side into Leo who ran towards him intending on ripping his arm off. Instead what he got was his girlfriend crashing into him.

Jinx groaned, "Ow…he pulled my hair."

Leo groaned as well, "You okay, Jinx?"

"Yeah," she replied, "Thanks for catching me."

Molock turned around and grabbed at the air as Ichijyo reappeared out of thin air with Molock's hand at his throat. Molock let go of Ichijyo, but not before ramming his knee into his stomach and delivering a vicious uppercut that sent him sailing.

"AZERATH METRION ZINTHOS!"

It was immediately after that that he turned around and put up his arms as a double-decker bus came flying at him from Raven's powers. It crashed into a street pole before stopping and the others gathered in a group wondering if this guy was done.

Of course they knew they could beat him. But, it was better to be more cautious than anything else when facing an opponent such as this.

The door to the bus opened to reveal a completely unharmed and untouched demon looking as if the attack never happened. "Is that all you've got?' he sneered. He stepped down from each step until he was on the ground. After he was on the ground, Ichijyo called forth his own power as a shadowy hand came out of the ground and rushed towards Molock. However, as the hand came closer, Molock just caught one of the fingers and held it there with one hand. With the same hand, an electrical current came through the shadowed hand making it dissipate.

"TAKE THIS!" Takada came rushing towards Molock firing an electrical blast hoping for it to have the same effect as it did on Kerka. But, unbeknownst to Takada was that Molock was far more powerful than Kerka. Because of this the electrical attacks were being absorbed into the demon's body. Molock lashed outwards as Takada's own electricity was fired back at him causing him to fly back and into a store window.

Ekelo came in as he dashed forward along with Leo. They both leapt into the air and came down on Molock. They delivered blow after blow but they had little effect on the demon. He just either blocked, dodged or he let them hit him. Either way they had no effect and Molock quickly grew tired of their antics.

He dodged Ekelo's high kick and grabbed him with both his hands. Afterwards he quickly spun him around and used him as a bat to slam Leo away while at the same time letting the half-breed go.

Blackfire and Kim came into the fray as the Tamaranean flew and Kim followed closely behind. Kim reached her hand forward as Blackfire took it and flew upwards. Kim was then spun around two times until Blackfire flung her forward towards Molock. She came closer and at the speed that she was coming at him, it would seem that he wouldn't have enough time to react.

Of course as we all have seen in this fight so far, Molock had incredible speed. He demonstrated his speed by grabbing Kim out of the air by her ankle and using the momentum of her failed attack to use her as a club to smack the ground with.

But, before she could hit the ground, her foot flew up and kicked Molock in the face. The surprise of such a sudden and unexpected attack caused the demon general of Hell to let go. Kim caught herself with her hands and used her strength and momentum to throw herself away from her attacker.

He turned around and saw Blackfire come at him with amazing speed as she reared back her fist and threw her attack. Molock just dodged the punch by leaning to the side and used his left hand to grab a hold of her hair. Once he got a good grip he spun her around and threw her straight into Kim and Ron who were running forward to attack him.

Ron jumped out of the way as Kim made an attempt to catch Blackfire. Ron came down in front of Molock and went into a Tai Shing Pek Kwar (Monkey King Fu) stance. "Time to show you my mad dumb skillz!" Because of the unpredictability of the style and attacks Molock wasn't able to touch him or land a solid attack; for a while.

Molock caught a kick in the air as he sneered at the young man. Ron was able to land several punches before he was caught. Normally they would not even harm the High General of Hell. However, Ronald Stoppable was granted with Mystical Monkey Power. Though the blows did not harm him much they did sting somewhat and to have a mortal land blow after blow that could actually harm him to the smallest of degree irritated him.

He got a firm grip on Ron before he flung him to the side and into a parked car. He raised his hand and a blast of demonic energy shot forward obliterating the car and the building in front of it.

"Oh Shit!" Ron would've gotten caught in the blast and got killed if not for Ekelo using his power over shadows to grab Ron and meld him through the floor right next to him. "Thanks," Ron said to him, but Ekelo remained silent.

Blackfire got up after getting untangled from Kim and glared at Molock with glowing violet eyes. Even though she was in a heated battle with a demon general, she still didn't like it when people pulled at her hair.

She immediately shot towards Molock with her speed being fueled by her rage and was going to pound on the being that had the nerve to pull her hair.

She came at him with a punch to Molock but the demon just caught the attack by grabbing Blackfire's wrist and forced her onto her knees. His right fist came up and hit her in the face while she was on her knees. He then turned around and used her body as a shield to guard against Takada's electrical attacks.

She screamed out in pain before the Dog Knight ceased his attack and Blackfire was dropped on the ground roughly. "BLACKFIRE!" Takada screamed. Her body was smoking. Molock then kicked the injured Tamaranean's body into the air. Takada rushed forwards and caugh her. "Oh God! Blackfire!" he looked at her injured form. She was smoking all over and her hair was in a mess. "I'm so sorry!" he apologized. Blackfire's eyes peaked open and Takada smiled.

"Try to aim better you stupid dog." she scolded him. Takada looked up and glared at Molock.

"How sweet," the demon mocked, "A Knight saving his princess, even after he almost killed her. What a show of human drama!"

"I'll show you drama!" Takada growled. Kim came over to him and helped Blackfire up with Jinx. The Dog Knight of Immortality took out his Zodiac Deck. Upon seeing this, Ron, Leo and Ichijyo did the same. "Ready for it, Molock? Because, this is gonna be the last thing you'll ever see."

"Bring it mortal trash," Molock challenged.

The four Zodiac Knights called out for their armors in unison.

"ZODIAC FORCE! DOG/DRAGON/SNAKE/MONKEY!"

Blue, red, purple and yellow energy swept over the four teens and in their places were four fantastic battle armored Knights, the Zodiac Knights.

Correction: The Zodiac Titans.

"ZODIAC KNIGHT PLUTO! IMMORTAL KNIGHT OF THE DOG!" Pluto drew out his sword and went into a battle pose of his own. His cape blew behind him, making him an awesome and majestic sight to behold. His black and silver armor glowed in the moonlight.

"ZODIAC KNIGHT DRACO! COMBUSTING KNIGHT OF THE DRAGON!" Draco called out in his red and silver armor. He went into a battle pose and his green eyepieces flashed. The claws in his Dragauntlet popped out, looking as sharp as ever.

"ZODIAC KNIGHT SHADOWCOBRA! INVISIBLE KNIGHT OF THE SNAKE!" Shadowcobra went into a battle stance and produced his battle scepter. He twirled it around expertly before stopping. His eyes under his visor glowed. His purple and silver armor was a sight to behold.

"ZODIAC KNIGHT ANIMORPH! SHAPESHIFTING KNIGHT OF THE MONKEY!" Animorph produced his staff and went into a battle staff. His scarf blew in the wind and his red and yellow armor shone brightly. His blue eyepieces shone.

Molock clapped, "Bravo! Bravo! It seems to me like the four of you so called Knights might even pose of a challenge to me."

"You got that right b-otch!" Pluto called out. Shadowcobra and Draco stared at him.

"You've been spending way too much time with Cyborg," Shadowcobra commented.

"Agreed," Draco nodded.

"He's got the right idea though," Animorph agreed.

"Only you Ron," Draco shook his head, "Only you."

"Hello…" Molock tapped his foot, "I'm waiting here."

"First things first," Shadow turned to the others, "We might need some help here you guys."

Blackfire was still a little frazzled and dazed but she was still eager to fight. She was after all from a warrior race. Her eyes and hands lit up with the same fiery energy she was known for, "Payback's a bitch and so am I," she smiled evilly.

Raven levitated and her eyes flashed white, "Bring it."

Jinx groaned a bit but was still eager to pay Molock back. Her eyes gave off the same pink glow that was the color of her hair, "I'm gonna hex this guy to next Tuesday, and beyond!" she hissed.

Kim didn't want Ron/Animorph to hog all of the action and soon got into a serious battle/mission mode, "Anything is possible for a Possible!"

Ekelo, however, was a bit hesitant to accept all this help. But, he also knew that it was near impossible for himself to beat Molock.

Shadowcobra, Pluto and Draco drew their Survivor Cards and looked at each other. Molock only watched them arrogantly, knowing fully well that he would win.

Or so he thought.

The three Zodiac Titans' card readers morphed into their Survivor Mode versions before their cards were slid into them.

"**SURVIVE!**"

Red, blue and black energy mixed with gold surrounded the trio of Knights and transformed them, taking them up to the next level.

However, would it be enough? Even with the help of the others, will it be enough to take down Molock?

Will they even survive?

To Be Continued…

ZK Chromedragozoid: Well, this chapter was written by Dr. Evans and edited by yours truly. I haven't truly credited him but he does really good fight scenes, better than mine even. However, I have one complaint and that this guy, my friend, Dr. Evans lacks in putting in any dialogue into his fights.

Dr Evans, this is for you, I know you're a good writer and a great friend and supporter of the ZKD saga.


	44. PT044: The Alchemist

Part 44: The Alchemist (In training)

All the Titans had been healed. Right now, they were standing around the cot Renia was in. Robin had explained to the rest of the team what Shadow had told him, especially the part about Renia's gloved hand.

"Dude, why is she wearing only ONE glove?" Beast Boy asked.

"Maybe she lost the other one," Cybrog shrugged.

"We simply must awaken her," Starfire pleaded.

"I don't think that's a good idea, Star," Robin told her, "Remember what Shadow said…"

"He said that she needs food. She looks like she hasn't eaten in months," Terra inspected, "She's so skinny."

"Like you," DT quipped, earning a glare from the geokinetic. He raised his hands, "No offence, but judging by the way you eat, it's amazing that you're still built like a stick." Terra's left eyebrow twitched. "I should shut up now."

"Good," Terra said simply, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"Dude, do not piss Terra off," Beast Boy warned DT in a whisper. "Trust me on this."

"I trust you," DT nodded.

Renia was still unconscious. She was uninjured, but very weak. She was suffering from malnutrition. Although, the Titans would help her with that when she woke up.

Beast Boy, ignoring Robin's earlier warning, went over and lightly touched Renia's glove covered hand.

Big mistake.

The girl's amber eyes shot open suddenly and she swung the hand up, curling the fingers into a fist, and slamming it hard into Beast Boy's chin with an uppercut. The changeling was sent sailing into the ceiling before dropping back on the ground, face first. Terra ran over to her boyfriend. Renia, of course, sat up with an angry scowl on her face.

"Do. Not. Touch. The. Glove!" she said the first four words slowly before yelling out the last. She then blinked and looked around. She gasped, "Oh my God! Where am I?"

Starfire was the first to place a hand on Renia's shoulder, "Relax, friend, you are safe here in Titans Tower."

"You're the Teen Titans!" Renia yelled out again. She identified each one of them, "Robin (he smiled), Starfire (she bowed), Cyborg (he pumped his fists and winked) and…who are you?" she was regarding the blue haired and masked teen in the infirmary with the others.

"Double-Trouble, but call me DT," he smiled.

"Did I just punch Beast Boy?" Renia asked, blushing, ashamed at her action.

"Yes!" Terra yelled out, carrying Beast Boy with one of her hands supporting him by the waist while his arm was slung over Terra's shoulders. "You hit him!" Beast Boy had swirlies in his eyes and mini-Terras floating around his head while his head spun around.

"Sorry," Renia pulled her knees against her chest, "Force of habit. I don't like people touching my glove." She blinked, "You must be Terra."

"The one and only," Terra bowed the best she could while supporting an unconscious BB. "And this is Beast Boy."

Renia gave them a small smile before she felt her tummy rumble, "Damn hunger pangs," she muttered.

"How long have you been on the road?" Robin asked.

"A couple of months," Renia shrugged, playing with one of her bangs.

"What of your parents?" Starfire asked. Renia's eyes widened before she shut them tight.

"They're…gone," she said, "They died a long time ago."

"My sympathies."

"And how old are you?" DT asked.

"I'm 13," Renia said. This got her some stares.

"Are you sure?" Cyborg scratched his head, "You look 10."

This caused a vein to pop up on Renia's temple, "WHO ARE YOU CALLING SHORT, HUH?" she stood on the bed so she could look Cy in the eyes, "I AM NOT SHORT! OKAY? WHO ARE YOU CALLING A LITTLE SHORT SHRIMP?" Cyborg backed away. He could almost see fire in the girl's eyes.

"Okay, okay," Cyborg waved his hands, "Sorry!"

Renia calmed down and sat back down. The other Titans looked at her with wide eyes because of her outburst. She rubbed the back of her head, shyly, "Sorry. I hate it when people call me short. Got height issues."

"You think?' Robin mumbled.

Renia sniffed under her arm and grimaced, "Ugh! That stinks!"

"When was the last time you had a bath?" Terra asked. Beast Boy woke up and his ears perked up. He was holding his nose as he jumped to full standing attention.

"WHAT STINKS DUDE?" he then noticed the pain, "OW! MY CHIN!"

Cyborg laughed, "That's one way to wake him up."

"So, you got a bath tub or anything?" Renia asked.

"I'll take you there, kid," Terra offered.

"I'm not a kid," Renia retorted. Terra didn't want to argue. Renia's stomach rumbled, "And any food? I'm starving."

"We shall prepare you a feast once you have done the washing of yourself!" Starfire beamed happily.

"Sure," Renia smiled back.

"Follow me," Terra instructed as they both walked out of the infirmary. Of course, Renia stumbled a few steps. She was still a little weak.

"How's that chin, BB?' Cyborg asked as soon as Terra and their new guest had left.

"A little sore. That kid packs a punch," Beast Boy rubbed his chin.

* * *

Both Terra and Renia stood in front of the large bathroom doors of the Tower. Each room had its own bathroom since the last renovation. They kept this old unisex bathroom just in case no one got to theirs in time…like Beast Boy.

"You need any help?' Terra asked. Renia shook her head. "I'll be out here if you need me."

"Thanks," Renia stepped in and the doors closed.

* * *

30 minutes later…The Kitchen.

"How long does it take for a girl to finish?" Beast Boy tapped his foot, "I want her to try some of my tofu dogs!"

Cyborg stuck out his tongue in disgust. "BB, get that crud out of my kitchen! She needs meat!"

"I like Beast Boy's tofu," DT defended.

"She simple must partake in my glorg!" Starfire said as she presented the dish. To this, the boys' faces turned green, greener for Beast Boy if it were possible.

"I don't think she would want to get sick after she eats, Star," Robin said to her.

Terra and Renia walked into the kitchen. Renia was now wearing a pair of denim shorts and a grey shirt that looked a little too big for her. She still had the glove on her right hand. Her dirty blonde hair was no longer tied back but flowed freely instead. You could've sworn that she was Terra's little sister or something. She then eyes all the food and began drooling.

Nearly as quick as The Flash, she attacked the food, nearly inhaling it. The Titans took a step back as the mountain of food was quickly devoured by this little girl. She took a swig of soda and let out a large belch (BURRRRRLLLLLLLAAAAAAPPPPPPPPP!). Starfire floated over and presented Renia with the glorg.

"Will you partake in my glorg?" Starfire batted her eyes. Renia eyed the strange dish and grimaced.

"No thanks. Pass," Renia raised up her hands, refusing the dish as politely as she could. Terra licked her lips.

"I'll have it, Star, may I?" Terra asked. Starfire beamed.

"Very well, friend Terra!" Starfire gave her the dish and Terra licked the dish clean. The boys blanched.

"How can she eat that?" DT asked.

"That, my friend, is a mystery all on its own," Cyborg answered.

"Now friend Renia," Starfire took Renia's hand in hers, "Where do you come from? How did you get here? What is your favorite color? And do you wish to be my friend?" (Starfire's trademark meet-a-new friend questions)

Renia replied the best she could, "Er…Um… Gotham City, hitch hiked, red and okay." She was then swept into a bone crushing hug from the ecstatic alien. "Need to breathe, NOW!" Starfire let her go.

Robin eyed Renia up and down (Not like that you pervs!) and began thinking. She seemed too young to be out on her own. Didn't she have any guardians? Shadow had asked him not to ask too many questions about her past, and glove, but Robin's detective instincts told him otherwise. He was suspicious of her and he wanted to know more about her. She could be one of Slade's cronies. She looked young but looks were deceiving.

Regardless, he had to honor Shadow's request. Of course, he had to ask a question, "So Renia…?" Robin asked.

"Hm?" Renia looked at him.

"How did you do that to the Sladebot?" he asked.

Renia froze. Of course. There was no way she could escape from that question. What she had done was both amazing and frightening. She wished she was never cursed with such power. With a sad sigh, she answered, "That's my power. I can transmute anything I touch into crystal."

The others stared at her. Beast Boy scratched his head. "Transmute…?' he asked.

"It means to change one thing into another," DT explained.

"But that's not all," Renia stared as her gloved hand, "I'm also…an alchemist."

Everyone raised their eyebrows.

"Alchemist? As in alchemy?" Robin asked. For all he knew, alchemy wasn't real science. So how could this girl, at this age, be an alchemist?

"In training," Renia added hastily, "I'm an alchemist in training."

"But isn't alchemy a fake science?" Robin asked, "Where people tried to change lead into gold?"

At this, Renia glared angrily at him, "It is not FAKE science! It is real! The only problem is that no one can change lead into gold, not even alchemists, since both lead and gold are two different elements."

"What does elements have to do with anything?" Cyborg asked.

Renia decided to give them a demonstration, "Okay. I'll show you guys what I mean since you all gave me a good meal." She turned to Cyborg, "How is that car of yours?"

"It's still busted up. Took a long time to pick up the pieces," Cyborg admitted.

"It's also severely damaged still," DT continued.

"Can I see it?" Renia asked. "I want to demonstrate what I mean about alchemy."

"You're not gonna change it into crystal, are you?" Cyborg asked worriedly, "Coz my baby is…"

"Relax. Now, can I see it?"

Cyborg nodded. Robin said, "Looks like we're going to the garage."

"This demonstration of alchemy must be quite astounding as Renia puts high regard to it," Starfire floated after.

"I wanna see what she can do," Terra nodded.

"I hope she doesn't punch me again," Beast Boy winced.

"This would be most…informative," DT admitted.

* * *

(In the Garage)

The Titans were standing in front of the T-Car. Parts of it were still dented and damaged. Renia walked over to it and turned to the Titans. "Watch," she told them. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a piece of chalk.

"What's with the chalk?" Beast Boy asked. Terra lightly elbowed him.

Renia began walking around the T-Car, drawing a circle around the vehicle with several strange patterns in it. When she was done, she grinned to the Titans. "Get ready to feast your eyes!" she clapped her hands and slammed her hands onto the circle. Sparks of energy flowed from her hands, through the circle and onto the T-Car. The Titans gasped and watched with wide eyes. In a puff of smoke, the T-Car stood before them, good as new.

"Woah," Beast Boy eyes widened.

"Amazing," Terra said.

"Stupendous!" Starfire exclaimed.

"Wow," Robin admitted.

Both Cyborg and DT inspected it and gasped. There were no longer any damages and any signs of damage were completely gone. Renia stood proudly.

"That's alchemy," she bowed.

The Titans applauded. Starfire said, "What magic!"

Renia then sighed, "It's not magic, Starfire. It's science. Alchemy has its own set of calculations and rules," she explained.

"So…what else can you do?" Beast Boy asked.

"All I can do is turning stuff to crystal and alchemy, I guess," Renia shrugged. She rubbed her gloved hand with her left one nervously.

"Who taught you?" Robin asked, "Who taught you alchemy?"

Renia shook her head, "No one did. I read a few books and decided to try it out. Who knew I could be so good at it," she smiled.

Robin accepted her answer, for now. All he cared about was getting to the bottom of this.

Meanwhile, the Titans did not notice a small black and orange robot that looked like a fly and had a small camera attached to its back. The camera was focusing on Renia…

To Be Continued…

ZK Chromedragozoid: Looks like there's more to Renia than meets the eye. An alchemist (in training). Wonder whose spybot is that? Give you 3 guesses. Begins with an S.


	45. PT045: Take Him Down Hard

Teen Titans in Tokyo: ZK Shadowcobra (Team Leader), ZK Draco, ZK Pluto, Jinx, Raven, Blackfire

Honorary Titans: Kim Possible, Ron Stoppable (ZK Animorph)

Teen Titans in JC: Robin (Team Leader), Cyborg (2nd in command), Starfire, Beast Boy, Terra, DT (New Member)

Non Titans: Ekelo, Renia

Villains: Molock , Slade, Team Tartarus (ZK Copycat, ZK ARMS, ZK Aqua, ZK Scissors)

Those are the characters

Disclaimer:

The Teen Titans and all related characters are property of DC and WB, Kim Possible and all related characters are property of Disney, The Zodiac Knights belong to me, Renia is property of icefox35, Molock and Ekelo are property of Dr. Evans (Thanks Dev)

Woah. Wow. So many chapters and so little time. Renia has just shown her powers in the previous chap. Now, to see how the others in Tokyo are doing.

Part 45: Take Him Down Hard

Draco, Pluto and Shadowcobra all stood in their glory in Survivor Mode regalia. Draco in crimson and gold, Pluto in sapphire and gold, and Shadow in onyx and gold. Draco was armed with his Dragblaster, a laser gun designed with a dragon motif in mind. Pluto drew out his sword from a scabbard strapped to his left arm. The scabbard also doubled as a shield and was shaped like a bat. Shadow swung his battle staff around, the cobra head atop it flanked by a pair of sharp scythe blades. Draco was without a cape, unlike his two fellow Survivor Knights. Well, Pluto's cape was split in two while Shadow's was tattered at the ends. Even so, the three Knights were an awesome sight to see.

Except to Molock, he just stood there and yawned, "Is that it?"

Kim stared at the armor in awe. She thought that Ron's armor was awesome. However, these Survivor Mode armors dwarfed his in comparison. Luckily, she didn't voice this opinion out loud. Who knows how Ron would react? Ekelo was silent. He just eyes his…acquaintances…skeptically. Even though the three had been bestowed upon with the powers of the Chinese Zodiac, as well as held the Survivor Cards, this was Molock they were facing and they didn't stand close to a chance.

Or did they?

Shadow was a realist and knew how to face facts. Pluto and Draco, however, had 'Never-Say-Die' attitudes. Ekelo once thought they were idiots/gluttons for punishment. They were persistent, he gave them that much. Shadow was always the logical one and knew when the odds were stacked up against them. It was quite possible that the Dog and Dragon had rubbed off on the Snake.

Ekelo…never really liked Draco. The first time they met, Ekelo had snapped at Draco for being too…childish. Draco always 'looked at the bright side of things' and believed that 'every cloud had a silver lining'. Bah! In Ekelo's opinion, the world wasn't like that. It was a dangerous place where evil reigned. Of course, he saw that the way Draco was brought up made him weak. The worst part was, Draco proved him wrong.

Draco wasn't weak, not for an instant. He fought, and fought hard. He fought to protect his ideals, his ideals for a peaceful world where everyone smiled. It was a pipe-dream, yes, but that was what kept Draco going.

That, as well as family and friends.

Ekelo never knew his mother. His father was a touchy subject. He hated him with a passion for making him the one to bring forth the prophecy that made him the one to bring Hell on Earth. He had been taken in and raised by an immortal sorcerer named Cyclops. He suppressed the demonic power in Ekelo and taught him how to control his powers.

When Ekelo was old enough he traveled the world, trying to free himself from his destiny. This was when he met…Raven. His eyes glanced at the violet haired girl. She always wore a black leotard and cloak, so why was she now in a dress. Maybe having friends changed her…made her more open? Well, she was a little open with him when they traveled together. They had similar destinies. They had grown…close and Ekelo could not risk that. So, one night, he left her without saying goodbye. It was all for the best and he was right. She had found love (again) in Shadow.

Shadow wasn't exactly human. He was half Vampire and half Angel. A strange and unholy combination that made him known as an abomination. He was the ONLY Vampangel in existence and he was alone for a long time because of that. Shadow had loved and lost and he, Ekelo was sure, wasn't ready to lose anyone he loved anymore. He saw it from the way he fought. Shadow was never emotional when he fought but working with Draco and Pluto usually got on his nerves.

Speaking of Pluto, Ekelo could actually talk to him. Pluto had this aura of a mad scientist around him. He was a genius but lacked valuable common sense. He also lost a loved one, his father, and his mother was in a coma. He buried himself in his work to not think of them. He was…a lone wolf, like Ekelo before he met Draco and still is in a sense.

Rating from who Ekelo could tolerate the most, he would say Raven and Shadow ranked at the top, Pluto at close second and Draco at the bottom.

He looked around and eyes his other allies. A raven haired alien girl who could fly and fire energy from her hand and eyes, a pink haired girl who could cast hexes, and a redhead with only amazing prowess in martial arts. Last but not least, another Zodiac Knight in Monkey based armor.

He eyed their opponent. It was a demon. Not just any demon; a High General of Hell.

The odds weren't good. They would die if they fought him. Of course, they weren't going to run nor give up. They were going to give it their all.

Even at the risk of their lives.

Shadow shouted, "TITANS! SURROUND HIM!" It was in his most commanding voice. The others followed, standing in a semi circle around the General. Molock eyes them all. He smirked. This was going to be fun.

"And so it begins," Molock cracked his knuckles

"TITANS!" Shadow commanded, "CHARGE!"

The teen superheroes attacked Molock simultaneously with all the pent of fury they could muster.

Which wasn't really much, according to Molock, as he blocked, dodged and countered all of the attacks raining on him. He caught Animorph's staff swing and used him as a club to slam Kim and Jinx away before kneeing him in the gut. He then threw him away before charging at Draco who was readying his own punch for Molock. Both fists impacted on their targets' faces and the force of the recoil pushed them away. Pluto was immediately upon Molock as he drew his sword and slashed the demon across the chest. Molock shrugged it off and kicked Pluto in the head sending the Dog Knight flying. In mid air, Pluto fired a lightning bolt at Molock, which only annoyed the demon general more rather than hurt him.

"HEXFIRE!" Draco and Jinx yelled as they both simultaneously fired a fireball and a pink hex wave. The two powers mixed around before colliding with their target. Draco's combustion power as well as the unpredictable force of Jinx's hex created a huge explosion.

"Did we win?" Draco asked Jinx. Jinx panted. She was getting tired and she was sore all over. She shook her head. The witch was not sure.

Molock walked out of the flames completely unscathed. He dusted himself off and said, "Fire and hexes? Please, don't make me laugh! I'm from Hell! Fire has no effect on me! What weaklings!" He said all this in a mocking tone.

Yaminekoryu got irritated and then spoke up in spectral form, "Go suck on your momma's titties!"

Of course Molock could see and hear Yaminekoryu and sneered, "If you must know, Yaminekoryu, I don't have a mother and nor did I ever have one. I was born from the very fires of Hell and proud of it." Molock drew his sword, "Of course, you will pay for that comment."

"Yaminekoryu?" Jinx raised an eyebrow and then looked at Draco, "What is he talking about, baby?" Draco sweatdropped and laughed nervously.

"Long story, Jinxy-chan," Draco told her.

"I see you've bonded with a human. I knew you were treacherous but to work with humans only proves how weak you are, Yaminekoryu," Molock jeered.

"Oh, shut up!" Yaminekoryu yelled out.

Draco sweardropped, "I don't think you should antagonize him."

"What is he gonna do? Rip me out of you?" Yaminekoryu dared.

Jinx only saw Draco talking to himself.

Molock thought to himself, "Not a bad idea. I'll do that after I tear your host's body apart before ripping you out of him."

Draco leered at his spirit guardian, "You just had to open your mouth, didn't you?" Yaminekoryu just laughed nervously before reentering Draco's body. The Dragon Knight then saw Molock approaching them with his sword held high. He drew a card before sliding it into his gun. "Guard Vent: Dragon Barricade!"

Dragonzer flew out of a nearby window before morphing into Dragonrizer. The Survivor Mode red dragon then flew around Draco and Jinx, creating a barricade that knocked Molock away. Molock got back up and roared.

Pluto was in the air with Blackfire. The dog Knight drew two cards and then slid them into his shield, "Nasty Vent! Blast Vent!" he yelled out, "GUYS! COVER YOUR EARS!" everyone did as told and covered their ears with their hands. All, except Molock

Darkwing flew into the scene and transformed into Darkraider. The armored bat then let out a powerful screech that forced Molock to cover his ears. The vibrations caused by the sounds were giving Molock a headache and slowly disoriented him, several windows shattered as well. Darkraider then let the turbines in its wing spin, sending out twin tornado winds that knocked the demon General into a building. Blackfire saw her chance and began throwing starbolts at Molock mercilessly. The bolts hit home causing small explosions to erupt upon their target. Blackfire then smiled and collected all her energy into one big energy ball and flung it at Molock.

Molock got back to his feet and saw the approaching starbolt. He picked up his sword and then swung it out like a baseball bat. The sword hit and the starbolt was sent flying into the sky, exploding like fireworks. Blackfire cursed. She thought she had him.

"You call that power?" Molock taunted, eyes glowing red, "THIS IS POWER!" he opened his mouth and sent out a pure concentrated beam of demon energy that was headed for Pluto and Blackfire. A black shadow shield suddenly appeared in front of them, deflecting the attack. Molock ceased the attacks and turned his head to have a fist connect with his jaw. It was Ekelo. Molock growled, "So you came to play, huh? Halfbreed scum!"

Ekelo narrowed his eyes and produced a pair of sharp scimitars. He then swung them at Molock but the General used his sword to block. They were in a deadlock. They struggled at each other, pushing to force the other to submit. However, Ekelo had other plans.

"SHADOW! RAVEN! NOW!" Ekelo shouted.

Raven rose up into the air and chanted, "Azarath, Metrion, ZINTHOS!" she collected all of the nearby debris and scrapped metal, merging them together to form a…mallet?

"TAKE THIS!" she shouted, throwing it down.

**SMASH!**

The black mallet slammed down on Molock, flattening him into the ground. Only his head was visible as the rest of him was buried under the ground. Molock was dazed and then looked up to see an…anvil?

**WHOMP! **

The black shadow anvil slammed right on top of Molock head, pushing it down deeper into the ground before dissipating.

Ekelo stared bemusedly at Shadow and Raven who gave each other a high five. It seemed to him that Raven was portraying emotions more easily, thanks to Shadowcobra. He couldn't help but smile.

The ground suddenly exploded and Molock flew out. His armor was cracked in places but he still had his sword…and his rage. The latter was directed to the Daughter of Trigon and the Vampangel. With a cry of fury, he swung his blade down with every intention to take the two Titans down.

Of course, he wasn't expecting anything to stop him. He was so wrong.

Kim and Animorph executed a teamed up flying kick that knocked the raging demon back to the ground. Animorph then used his Zodiac Power to shape shift himself into the heaviest thing he could imagine: a blue whale.

**SLAM! **

The tremor caused by the sudden impact nearly knocked all the grounded teens down. They were able to keep their footing. Kim walked up to the blue whale and petted it, "Good work boy."

The whale then said, "Good work to you too…" he then felt strange, "KP?"

The large animal rose up off the ground as Molock was carrying it on his shoulders. "IMPUDENT ANIMAL!" the demon roared before chucking Animorph into the air…

Right at Pluto and Blackfire. Animorph morphed back to normal form before slamming into the Knight and his princess. He morphed into a hawk and apologized to the two.

(BTW, Ron can talk in animal form, just to let ya know.)

Kim readied a punch for Molock's face but he caught it, squeezing it as well. Kim let out an anguished scream.

"KP!" Ron yelled as he flew down and attacked Molock's face. The demon swatted the hawk away and then proceeded to torture Kim Possible.

"Such a lovely girl…" he got into Kim's face, smirking, "Maybe I will make you one of my…slaves…" he stuck out his tongue to lick her face. She let out a whimper of disgust before spitting at his face.

"Don't touch me!" she hissed.

Molock was not amused, "Foul witch!" he was going to kill her and Kim knew it. Kim kneed him directly in the balls causing him to squeak and let go of her while she did a flip to get away.

"Are you okay, KP?" Animorph asked.

"Remind me to take a bath after this," Kim shuddered, remembering the lick she got. She stuck out her tongue in disgust.

Animorph drew out two cards and slid them into his belt, "Strike Vent! Sword Vent!" The Scepter of Hanuman and the Lotus Blade appeared in his hands. "This is for touching my girl."

Everyone had winced when Kim had kneed Molock.

"That had to hurt," Pluto muttered.

"No doubt," Shadow agreed, "Even a demon has sensitive regions."

"Then let's hurt him more!" Blackfire let out a loud yell and began her attack with Shadow and Pluto. Ekelo and Raven followed after. Animorph yelled out with his weapons in his fists. Kim ran by his side. Draco and Jinx were not too far behind.

Animorph slammed the holy Scepter of Hanuman into Molock's face, smashing it in. He then slashed at Molock's armor with his Lotus Blade. He morphed it into a large war hammer and slammed it down on the demon's head. Kim elbowed him in the chest before doing a flip kick that knocked his head up before Jinx jumped in and executed a heel kick that knocked his head back down. Molock looked up and got a fist in his face courtesy of Blackfire before being blasted at point black range by her eyebeams. He was soon shocked by a few thousand volts of electricity before being slashed by a twin bladed battle staff (Shadow) and a golden sword blade (Draco). Raven and Ekelo got ready as well. Raven let out her trademark chant and summoned her soul self to grab Molock and slam him into the ground. Ekelo summoned up several cannonball sized shadow energy balls and then threw at Molock. The balls made contact and blew up, shattering more and more of his armor. Molock staggered to get up and glared at the teens with his still good eye. He was being beaten by teenagers! This was not the image of a demon General. If he failed to dispatch these young ones, he'd be the laughing stock of the underworld. He could not accept that.

"**DIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE**!!!" Molock yelled out as he charged with his sword.

Pluto, Shadow, Draco and Animorph activated their Trick Vent cards at the same time to create a distraction by creating several copies of themselves to form a united front. Unfortunately, Molock smashed through the clones with ease and they shattered like glass. It didn't do much, but it did slow him down a bit.

Shadow ran at him and caught his sword with his staff.

"I know what you are…" Molock started, "I sense it. You're an abomination…a freak…"

"What are you talking about?" Shadow demanded, his eyes narrowing behind his visor.

"You're the Vampangel, the only true Vampire/Angel hybrid in existence. Trapped between two worlds. You're not human, why do you defend them? They all will hate you once they find out your true nature…" Molock continued to chip away at Shadow's spirit. Shadow didn't listen. He just spun their weapons around, ripping Molock's sword out of his hands before jumping away to join the others.

"NOW!" he ordered

The teens then prepared the best they could, the Knights especially. Survivor Knights, Pluto and Draco, both drew out their Final Vents. They were going to finish Molock off once and for all.

**"SURVIVOR FINAL VENT!"**

Darkraider and Dragonrizer both morphed into their motorcycle forms before their masters leapt on them and rode them towards their target. Darkraider glowed blue as Cerberion became energy and combined with it. Following above Dragonrizer and Draco were all of his monsters, zooming in the sky like meteors. Molock looked up.

"Oh no," he muttered.

"**DARK TORPEDO!"** Pluto's cape spread out like batwings before wrapping around himself and his vehicle to form a sharp spike missile. Blue flames shot out from the back and the spike began gaining speed.

"**DRAGON METEOR FIRESTORM!"** Dragonrizer blew out a stream of flames that trapped Molock in a vortex of fire. There was nowhere to run for him as both Knights slammed into him before a huge explosion erupted.

To Be Continued…

ZK Chromedragozoid: Do you think Molock is gone? Well…maybe. Who knows? He was tough, wasn't he? Again, thanks Dr. Evans for letting me use your characters.

You have to admit that they Took Him Down Hard, right? It was 9 against 1. Of course, a Demonic General of Hell should have a few tricks up his sleeves.


	46. PT046: Tickled Pink

Note: I don't know squat about speakin Spanish! So, I'll write everything Mas and Menos say in italics. They _are_ speaking Spanish but the other members of Titans East hear them as speaking Spanish.

Now that that's over and done with, let's continue on with the story, shall we?

And this chap introduces a character created by my sis. Guess which one.

Part 46: Tickled Pink

( Steel City)

It was late at night and several thieves have broken into the museum to steal several valuable artifacts and paintings. However, they did not expect to be watched by a pair of purple eyes.

* * *

The alarm sounded, alerting the Titans East. They arrived at the scene and kicked the doors open.

"TITANS! G-huh?" Bumblebee stopped in mid shout as she and the other members Titans East beheld the sight before them. The thieves have been tied up and gagged. The thing was that they were tied up and hung up by unbreakable pink ribbons. Bumblebee scratched her head in confusion, "What the heck happened here?"

"Bee?" Moon asked, "Does this mean we don't have to do anything?"

"Fraid so, M," Bumblebee replied.

"Pink? Again?" Speedy pointed out.

"We should take them down and take them in," Aqualad suggested.

"Obviously," Venus said flatly.

"Allow me," Speedy aimed his arrow and shot at the ribbons, tearing them up and dropping the thieves down with a thud.

"Hey guys?" Aqualad sniffed, "You smell that?"

The others inhaled the air and noticed a familiar yet foreign fragrance.

"Is that strawberry scented perfume?" Venus asked.

* * *

For a whole week the newspapers have been reporting the latest craze dubbed 'The Pink Avenger'. The front page headlines kept reporting the new hero's exploits. The new hero also left a calling card of some sort like a pink trinket she or he leaves at the scene. The newspapers, all of them, were strewn all over the coffee table. All the Titans were sitting around having a discussion.

"It could be a girl," Speedy pointed out.

"Let's leave that option open, Speedy," Bumblebee told him.

"Hello!" Speedy pointed out, "Pink! It has to be a girl."

"There are tons of guys who like pink," Moon chimed in. Mas and Menos stared up at the green haired speedster with hearts in their eyes.

"_Miss Moon is very smart…_"the two Spanish speedsters swooned. They would always agree with what Moon said.

It was already late and the Titans were already tired. Venus let out a yawn and got up off the couch.

"G'night guys," Venus said as she yawned.

"Night, V," Moon greeted back as she looked through all of the newspapers at hyper speed.

"Aren't you gonna go to sleep yet, rabbit-girl?" Bumblebee asked.

"Don't need much sleep," Moon replied, "Got a super speed metabolism. A couple of hours of sleep is enough for me."

"_Goodnight Miss Moon_," the twins said before holding hands and zipping towards their room.

"I better turn in too," Speedy stretched.

"Yeah…" Aqualad rubbed his eyes before yawning.

After all the Titans left the living room, Moon watched the doors slide close from over the top of the newspaper she was reading. She waited patiently before zooming around and checking that everyone was asleep. After she confirmed that they were all asleep, she smirked.

"Now to do my own investigations," Moon ran quickly out of the Tower and into the city. She was going to track down this 'Pink Painter', or her name wasn't Megami Amakusa Akuma a.k.a Zodiac Knight Moon.

* * *

Venus was in her room. Her computer was on and she was online. Yahoo! Messenger was on and she was chatting with someone. She typed in and smiled.

WhiteSwan: R u there Joey?

GoldCancer: Yeah…how r u?

WhiteSwan: Tired…but okay. I'm fine BTW. U?

GoldCancer: Me 2. But…

WhiteSwan: But what?

GoldCancer: Well…a friend of mine got into an accident and she's in the hospital

Venus gasped

WhiteSwan: Is she ok?

GoldCancer: By ok, do u mean sarcastic and sour? Then yes.

WhiteSwan: Is that what she's like?

GoldCancer: Just to my big bro. She's nice to me and my sis.

WhiteSwan: You have a sis?

GoldCancer: Yep.

Venus smiled as she continued typing. She then looked over at her window and noticed something. The water was splashing around…in a straight line.

"Megami…" she half muttered and half groaned. She typed something quickly.

VenusSwan: Gtg. A friend of mine is gonna get into trouble. Ttyl?

GoldCancer: Ok. Night.

Venus got up from her chair and shook her head, "Megami-san…what am I gonna do with you?"

* * *

Moon was already in the city. She was zipping around, going on patrol and trying to find signs of the mysterious 'Pink Avenger'.

"Where are you?" she said under her breath. "How hard is it to find someone who leaves pink stuff and smells like strawberries?" she then heard her communicator beeping. She stopped and began running in place before taking out her T-Com. "Yes?"

"Look up," it was Venus' voice. Moon looked up and saw her friend floating down. Her arms were crossed. Moon could see that she was pissed . Venus tapped her foot in irritation. "Megami…"

"Oh Eri!" Moon said nervously, backing away. "You…found me. Thought you were asleep."

"Not without lack of trying," Venus stepped up towards her friend, "What are you doing out here late, without Bumblebee's permission?"

Moon had to come clean. She sighed, "Okay…I'm trying to find this 'Pink Avenger' that keeps stopping crime before we get there."

"Why?" Venus prodded.

"Possibly recruit him…or her…" Moon shuffled her feet.

"It's a girl," Venus said firmly, "Or a transvestite."

Moon shuddered. She did not want to think about the latter possibility.

Suddenly, they heard an alarm.

"A crime is in progress!" Moon got ready, "Let's go!" she zoomed ahead.

"Moon!" Venus flew up and then after her fast friend, "Slow down!"

Moon, however, wasn't listening. She ran as fast as she could until she reached the crime scene. She stopped in front of a jewelry store downtown. There was a suspicious car parked in front and a broken glass window. "Jackpot." She jumped into the broken window and saw a bunch of crooks in ski masks shoving whatever they could into sacks. She took a confident stance and said, "I don't think those things look good on you." The crooks were surprised and immediately whipped out their guns. Moon rolled her eyes and then said, "Typical," while dodging each bullet. She got up to the first crook and punched him hard in the face, knocking him out, before taking his gun. She did the same to the others. She got out a rope and tied them all up. This all happened in a matter of seconds before she dusted her hands off. She counted the crooks. "Wait….where's the other one?" she didn't notice one of the crooks with a metal pipe and slowly advancing behind the Zodiac Knight of Speed.

Of course, he didn't get to swing it down as a pink ribbon wrapped around the pipe and pulled it out of his hands. "Hey!" he exclaimed. Moon turned and saw the crook. She quickly swung her fist into his jaw and knocked him out. She shook her fist and then looked up. Her mouth and eyes went wide.

There, in the air, was a girl. It was dark but Moon could see her quite clearly since she could see in the dark. The girl was a teen, about 18 years old. She was blonde with pink streaks in her hair. Her hair had been tied up in pigtails by pink ribbons. Her costume was a pink leotard with a matching corset, belt, elbow length gloves and thigh high boots. She also wore a pink mask over the upper half of her face. She was holding a paintbrush and riding on a palette, a flying palette.

"I knew it was a girl!" Moon said triumphantly. The girl in pink quickly used her brush to paint in the air and created a pink rope that tied itself around the last crook. She winked at Moon and flew out.

"Hey wait!" Moon ran after her, but not before calling the cops to pick up the 'trash'.

Venus saw her and flew close to her, yelling, "You could've waited for me!"

"No time to talk, V! I just found our mysterious 'Pink Avenger'. And it's a GIRL!" Moon shouted as she ran as fast as she could.

"Are you sure?" Venus asked.

"Look up!" Moon pointed up and Venus did. She gasped. A girl was flying on a large palette like a flying carper.

"Am I dreaming? Because I swear that looked like a big paint palette flying in the air," Venus said in disbelief.

"You're not!" Moon said quickly.

"Well, I'm not gonna lose her!" Venus glided up high into the air, after the mysterious pink clad heroine. Moon followed on the ground, kicking up dust as she ran like a speed demon.

"Hey you, stop!" Venus yelled out. The pink clad girl turned and smiled at her before she used her paintbrush to paint a few pink tennis balls before throwing them at the flying white Knight. "Hey! Quit that!" the balls, however, kept coming.

"I wish I could friggin fly!" Moon swore. She then started to run up the walls and then ran horizontally on the surface. She soon found herself running beside the pink girl. "Hey! What's your name?"

The girl smiled before pulling out some pink pellets from her belt and threw them in front of Moon. Moon's eyes widened before the pellets blew up in front of her. She soon found herself stuck. She was covered in pink bubblegum gunk.

"Okay…this is embarrassing…and we lost her," she muttered. "And, yuck! This stuff is in my hair!" she whined.

Venus went up to Moon and used her plasma beams to cut her out of the bubblegum trap before catching her in her arms. "You okay?"

"I'll live. Thank goodness none of the guys saw or I'll never hear the end of it," Moon groaned.

"Well, we lost her. Better get back to the Tower."

"Yeah." Moon perked up, "Well, at least I got a good look at her. Maybe I can draw her and show the picture to the others so we can track her down."

Venus agreed, "Good idea. Let's go. I'll fly us there."

"I'd rather run," Moon looked down and gulped. "I'm still afraid of heights, after all this time."

Venus was about to retort but shook her head. Moon did not need another knife stuck into her pride. "Let's go home Megami."

* * *

( Wilson Mansion)

Kat grumbled. She was dressed in a black robe with a red belt tied around her waist. You could see that she had bandages wrapped firmly around her torso as well as her right arm. Her left arm was in a cast and sling and she also wore a neck-brace. Bandages were worn around her head and she had some band aids on her face and some stitches. Her legs also had bandages. Kat sat up in bed and grumbled. Not only had she lost against the Titans, but she was also bedridden for a month. Of course, that wasn't the worst. She had also lost all the powers she had copied. She cursed and snarled. Attempting to use THAT many powers at once was the WORST mistake she could have made. How could she have forgotten that ONE weakness? How?

Because she was crazy. (Copycat snarls at the camera) Hey! Don't snarl at me, you were the one who made the STUPID mistake.

Which was the reason why she was bedridden for a whole month. She was not allowed to go out or move about or even fight. Wintergreen had confiscated her Zodiac Deck so that she couldn't sneak out. She grumbled.

She heard a knock on the door. With an irritated growl she replied, "Come in…" The door creaked open and a girl with long white hair walked in. Kat sighed and gave her a smile. Rose was the only one she wanted to see in her time of need. Kat smiled sweetly as the daughter of Slade walked in, carrying a tray with a bowl of soup and a glass of warm milk. "Hey, Rosey…" Kat purred. Rose blushed but smiled back, nonetheless.

"Feeling better, Kitty-Kat?" Rose asked. Kat groaned.

"No. I'm soooooooooo bored!" Kat fell back on her bed, "I wanna go beat someone up! I wanna cause mayhem! Wreak havoc! Do some damage!" she cackled, but even that hurt her jaw.

"No, no, no and no!" Rose scolded while wagging her finger. "You are not to do any evil deeds for a month. Daddy said you needed to rest and that's what you're going to do!"

"But it's sooooooooooooo BORING!" Kat whined. Rose sighed. She pulled up a chair and placed the tray on Kat's bedside table. She lightly stroked her lover's black hair.

"I know, I know," Rose said, trying to be consoling.

"Not only that, ALL of the powers I've copied are gone!" Kat cried.

"Yeah…Grant said that your Zodiac Power works like a computer; overload it and it crashes, losing all the data in the process," Rose explained.

"He was having a lot of fun with my misfortune, if I remember," Kat grumbled.

"He did. Too bad you don't have those powers anymore, huh?" Rose replied, stroking Kat's hair, making the feral purr.

"Oh…when I get out of bed, the first thing I'm gonna do is shove a stick right up his-"

"Kat…" Rose said sternly.

"Come on!" Kat begged, "Pretty please…" she batted her eyes adorable, "Puttytat need to vent out her anger…" she purred.

"Okay…but no stick enemas," Rose said firmly.

"But-" Kat began but caught the look from Rose. "Okay…" she then decided to change the subject, "By the way, how did you know what was going to happen to me?"

"I'm a precog, remember? I had a vision. The Titans would've shipped you to prison and found out your identity before pumping information out of you. They'll then find out where we live," Rose told her, "I couldn't let that happen to you…"

Kat placed her bandaged hand on Rose's and smiled, "Thanks, Rosey," she then pulled her down so they could kiss.

Of course, Grant had to choose that time to barge in. "Hey Girl-WOAH!"

"GET OUT! GET OUT!" Kat screeched. Rose glared.

"Okay! Okay!" he walked out and closed the door. "This is not something I wanna see," he muttered. His sister kissing another girl just gave him the heebie-geebies. It was bad enough that Joey was on the computer chatting with some girl he met at that club the other night

Kat groaned, "How humiliating…"

"He could at least have knocked," Rose said, blushing.

"Now then…" Kat purred, "Where were we…?"

"Later Kitty-Kat," Rose took the bowl off the tray, "Now it's feeding time. Say 'ah'." She scooped some of the soup into the spoon.

Kat opened her mouth and Rose put the spoon into Kat's mouth and she swallowed it. Kat then stuck out her tongue in disgust, "Bleagh! What is that stuff?"

"One of Wintergreen's remedies, he said this will help you heal faster." Rose gave Kat the glass of milk, "Use this to wash down the bad taste." She placed the glass to Kat's mouth and she took slow sips.

Kat was enjoying being pampered like this. It felt…good for some reason. Back home, she was never pampered this much. Sure there were the servants, but she wanted it from her own family. Leo got all the attention. Stupid Leo, stupid grandparents, stupid ma-

Okay…her mother did spoil her a bit. She was the only one who saw the potential in Kat. Unfortunately, Kat used that potential for evil.

_And it all started when I said, 'Let's get NAUGHTY!'_ Kat mused before she chuckled, but even that hurt as she winced.

"Does it hurt?" Rose asked.

"Only when I laugh," Kat muttered half sarcastically.

"Don't worry, Kitty-Kat, before long, you'll be good as new…" Rose said to her.

"Yeah…Hope Slade-sama isn't too disappointed in me," Kat said sadly.

"Not really…he was impressed by your initiative as well as your determination and your viciousness and ferocity…However, you did go against his orders when he told you not to engage the Titans without his permission."

"He was sure pissed, huh?" Kat laughed before flinching.

"Yes, he was. But he does care about you…I can sense it in his voice," Rose then continued, "You're the only apprentice that had all the qualities he had been looking for all this time. Robin and Terra were weak; they still had consciences. You, however, don't have much of one."

"I do have a conscience!" Kat objected, startling Rose. Kat added, "It just doesn't extend to my enemies. I don't show compassion to them…I show them my claws as I rip them to bits."

"And you do it so well," Rose agreed. She scooped up some of the soup and Kat stared at it in disgust before taking in another spoonful. She stuck out her tongue. "Is it really that bad?" Rose asked.

"Try it," the injured Cat Knight challenged. Rose took a sip of the soup and immediately blanched.

"Yuck! That is nasty!" Rose stuck out her tongue.

"Told you!" Kat giggled.

"Okay…let's forget the soup. Let's just go for the milk," Rose put the bowl on the tray and picked up the glass of milk and placed it near Kat's lips. Kat took slow sips since her neck hurt when she swallowed too fast. She finished the milk and sighed.

"That's good milk," Kat s smiled.

"At least you like that. I'll throw this soup down the sink and fix you up something nicer," Rose offered.

"Make it a tuna melt sandwich, kay?" Kat pleaded, "Pweeeeeeaaaaaaassssssseeeeee?" She did this with big kitty-cat-eyes.

Rose giggled and lightly tapped Kat on the nose. "Maybe. Now rest, okay?"

Kat yawned, "Okay…" she closed her eyes and went to sleep. Rose stroked the female copycat's hair before leaning down and kissing her temple.

"Good night, Kitty-Kat, I love you," she then got up with the tray but stopped when she heard Kat mutter something.

"Love you too…Rosey…" before she went back to sleep.

Rose placed a hand to her heart and smiled. She swooned a bit and felt light headed.

She was in love and the other one reciprocated.

Life was good for Rose Wilson.

To Be Continued…

Who was that girl in pink? Is she friend or foe? Why the Hell am I doing a story with Titans East? Well, stay tune for more action as soon as I get to writing it. See ya! BTW, the pink girl is not mine. She belongs to my sis and her identity cannot be disclosed…yet.

Some romantic fluff while Kat is sick/injured. Love it? Hate it? Well, don't care. It just came to me. Who says villains can't love?

Bios:

**Zodiac Knight Moon**

Real Name: Magami Amakusa (Akuma)

Zodiac Animal: The Rabbit

Zodiac Power: Speed

Other powers: Can shoot energy blasts from her hands that she dubs as 'Moonbeams' and night vision.

Zodiac Beast: Hopstar

Bio: Shadowcobra's hyperactive sister. She does everything fast. Quite reckless but able to get the job done. Shadowcobra is often embarrassed by his sister's behavior but loves her anyway. Has a short attention span. A member of Titans East with Venus.

**Zodiac Knight Venus **

Real Name: Erika Takada

Zodiac Sign: Virgo

Zodiac Power: Healing and can sense people's auras and can read them through physical contact while healing.

Other Powers: Flight and can also shoot energy blasts

Zodiac Beast: Whitewing

Bio: Pluto's little sister and Draco's ex-girlfriend. They broke up after he couldn't cope with Tazuka's death and became recluse. Venus was at first jealous of Jinx but they got over their differences once she realized that Draco was much happier with Jinx. Her power of Virgo comes from her purity. She is able to heal people and can sense and read their auras through skin contact, letting her know if a person is good or bad. Of course, her healing and aura reading powers are connected so she can only read auras through healing. She named herself after the Roman Goddess of Love. A member of Titans East with Moon.

**Zodiac Knight Aqua **

Real Name: Rose Wilson

Zodiac Sign: Aquarius

Zodiac Power: Can telepathically speak to aquatic animals and manipulate water.

Other powers: Precognition and skillful in sword combat.

Zodiac Beast: Dolpheen

Bio: Rose is the youngest of the Wilson children and is Grant and Joey's half sister. She wants to be acknowledged in her father's eyes and that's why she does his bidding. She is an expert gymnast and a good fighter, using steel fans as her primary weapons and a machete as her secondary one. Her precognitive abilities allow her to see short glimpses into the future, but this is enough so she can see her opponent's next move. She is a lesbian and is in love with Kat who, fortunately, loves her back.

PS: I would greatly appreciate some ideas so go on to my forum. Also, I would appreciate it if some fanart was made based on my fics. My scanner broke so I don't have any pics to upload,


	47. PT047: The Legendary

Part 47: The Legendary

To protect…

To Fight…

To fight for justice…

To fight for my mother…

To fight for my grandfather…

To fight for my grandmother…

To fight for my sister…

To fight for my friends…

To fight for my family…

To fight for my love ones…

I believe in my power…

I believe in my strength…

I believe in my will…

I believe in my name…

Our name…

Our name as Zodiac Knights…

* * *

He watched from his vantage point, which was from atop a large building. He was watching the Titans, or more specifically, Zodiac Knight Draco. 

"He has become…stronger," he said, in an impressed and proud tone. The observer was a man with black hair and clad in a blue shirt and black pants. His hair was black with streaks of red in it. His right eye had three vertical scars running over it. Both of his eyes were a neon green color. Looking at him closely, he could pass off as an older version of Draco. This was in fact…

"Good evening Libra," said a soft yet masculine voice.

The man, now identified as Libra, turned and looked at the speaker. He nodded, "Good evening, Fuji-sama."

"I see that you've been watching the recent battles here," Fuji observed. Libra nodded.

"I have. It is my job as the Guardian of the Zodiac Knights to watch over the battles of the Knights."

Fuji agreed, "That's true."

"Is this a social call?" Libra crossed arms.

"You remember the Crusaders and The Order, right?" Fuji asked.

"Are they trying to involve themselves, again? I thought we had an agreement?"

"We do…The Order helps cover up most of the Knights' activities so that the general public don't find out about the Mirror Dimension." Fuji continued, "You do realize the repercussions if any outsiders found out, do you?"

"I do," Libra nodded, "Mass hysteria and chaos." He continued, "So what do they want now?"

"Remember Bushydo?" Fuji asked.

"Your brother Yoshido's finest assassin?" Libra asked, "What about him?"

"It seems that he got out of his prison in Hell," Fuji sighed, "Yoshido had a hand in it."

"I see," Libra frowned, "Not good." Libra remembered Bushydo and knew of his reputation as well. A bloodthirsty warrior who had killed numerous Zodiac Knights for the past few centuries. He was dangerous. Luckily, Draco, Shadow and Pluto had stopped him by dropping a building on top of him. Actually…it collapsed on him, but same difference. Since then, Bushydo had held a deep hatred for the three and was waiting for the opportune time to have his revenge. "Bushydo's in the city, isn't he?"

"He is," Fuji admitted. There was no use lying to the Knight of Libra. He could just take out his scale and it would tell Libra if the God of Wind was lying or not. Libra reached into his pocket and pulled out three cards with blank faces. Written on top were the words 'Legendary'.

"The Legendary cards?" Fuji asked. "So Cyclops came through."

"He did. Once I told him that his 'son' was in danger, he quickly got to work in creating these cards. They will give those three; Draco, Pluto and Shadowcobra, immense power."

"I see…heard about the Prophecy of Scath, yet?" Fuji inquired.

"Who hasn't?" Libra replied, "In fact, the girl that Shadowcobra loves will have a hand in HIS summoning."

"The Order wants her eliminated, and so does Yoshido. They want Trigon stopped," Fuji told him.

"I know, but killing Raven is not the answer. They would just delay the inevitable by doing…or may just speed it up. By killing Raven's mortal shell, they would release her pure demonic essence and that essence would bring Trigon here much faster than expected. Luckily, Lance had some members of the Order agree to that. However, those that agree with Yoshido are still stubborn and want all threats eliminated."

"Do you believe that the girl is a threat?" Fuji asked.

"No," Libra shook his head, "Just a pawn…but the pawn may become a Queen." He continued, "Maybe Raven is the one who can light the world's darkest hour."

"That's highly trusting of you. How do you know she won't turn evil?" Fuji asked.

"Some of my friends are vampires, mermaids, demons, werewolves, banshee and fairy folk. You just have to trust them," Libra shrugged, "Besides, I believe that Trigon's end will come as his Prophecy comes to past."

"You believe so?" Fuji raised an eyebrow skeptically.

"I know so," Libra said firmly. His eyes scanned the battlefield and they rested on Shadowcobra. He smiled. Fuji noticed this.

"Why are you staring at the Snake Knight?" he asked.

"I can see that he will play a role in Raven's destiny in the future. He will be involved in the destruction of Trigon," Libra answered.

"Because of his half angel blood?" Fuji inquired.

Libra shook his head, "It's much more than that, Fuji-sama, much, much more…"

* * *

"My turn!" Shadow hissed as he drew a card and activated it, "SURVIVOR FINAL VENT!" his monster was summoned. Genocide roared and appeared to change a bit, becoming meaner, with darker armor and spikes protruding along the cobra hood, a more menacing looking horn and barbs going along the spine. Its claws were sharper and on its chest was a large black X. It roared. Genocide was now Genocide-X. Genocide-X stood behind its master as Shadow took a running start and leapt into the air. Shadow's cape then came alive and wrapped around him as the 'X' on Genocide-X's chest sent crackling energy at its master. The energy joined with the Knight of Invisibility and crackled around him as he came down to deal the finishing blow. 

"**SHADOW SPIRAL SHAVER!"**

The attack struck into the cloud of smoke and flames.

The sounds of the explosion were gone and the only things that were left were several severely heavily damaged buildings and a very large and thick cloud of smoke. Jinx, Raven, Blackfire, Kim, Ekelo and Ron all waited for something to happen.

And something did as they heard three separate yells and a few blows being traded until Draco, Shadow and Pluto were thrown out of the thickness of the cloud with their Survivor armors damaged severely. They went flying into the group as everyone was hit hard except for Ekelo who stepped away from the group at the last moment. The Knights' Survivor Mode armors shattered away, turning them back to their normal modes.

He looked at them as they began to get themselves untangled before Ekelo responded, "I'm guessing he's not dead."

"No shit Sherlock," growled Draco as he was helped up by Jinx.

The dust slowly began to dissipate revealing Molock as he was with several cracks in his armor as well as a few bruised places on his body and his right eye swollen shut. But there was a huge difference; he had a huge hole in his stomach and half of his chest was greatly damaged.

They expected him to stagger or fall on his knees, coughing up blood, but he didn't. He just walked over to them with a sinister smile on his face, "You thought I would be done in so easily? You are even bigger fools than I thought you were. However…"

Molock pointed at himself and said, "I'm impressed that you all were able to do this much damage to me AND my armor. Especially this," the demon General pointed to the large hole in his body before continuing, "You could have actually beaten me had you not concentrated the entire attack on one single spot. You hurt me in my current form and for that I applaud you."

And to show that he truly meant it, he clapped a few times to show that he was greatly impressed.

While the others were completely dumbfounded on why Molock was complementing them instead of being outraged and hacking at anything that moved; Ekelo on the other hand became nervous about what he said, '_Current form? I do NOT like the sound of that.'_

"However," said Molock as his voice quickly changed from cheerful to serious, "You will not get a second chance at that. You have also shown me that I will have to take you all seriously."

Molock then closed his good eye as his entire body began to glow a red aura. At that moment all of the wounds, bruises, cuts and whatever else that were inflicted on his body began healing at a rapid rate. But that was not all that was healing as the cracks and missing pieces in his armor began to reform and repair itself. And soon enough the only thing that was left was the giant hole in his stomach and that too began to heal. First the flesh on his body then the armor and soon enough he was healed completely and looked as if none of the attacks had ever happened. The only thing missing was the sword and said weapon came flying into his right hand; he slashed at the air a couple of time before sheathing it.

"And to show you all how serious I am you will witness a once in a lifetime opportunity; I shall reveal my true form."

The others became slack jawed at this, they knew how transformations always worked; they would change form making them stronger, faster and in some cases nearly invincible.

"You all should be honored to face me in all my glory. The times I have done so can be counted on one hand alone," said Molock as his body began to tense up as he was drawing in demonic energy.

"Then why don't I feel honored?" said Pluto as his body tensed up waiting for anything to happen.

"BEHOLD AND WITNESS MY TRUE FORM MORTALS! FOR IT WILL BE THE LAST THING YOU SHALL EVER SEE IN YOUR PATHETIC LIVES!"

Molock's body then began to steam with demonic energy as his body began to show visible veins popping all over it as they began to pulse. The Titans and Ekelo weren't going to wait around to face his true form; they had to stop it before he was finished. Molock was powerful and only by attacking him with attack after attack as well as setting him up for another attack from another person and repeating the process did they have a bit of a chance.

But if he transformed, they would surely not have the same effect on him.

So they decided to stop him as Blackfire threw as many starbolts as she could; but the attacks just slid off of the steaming aura. She fired her most powerful starbolt but all it did was bounce back.

Animorph, Draco, Shadow, and Pluto attacks had the same effect as they just rolled off of him or bounced off back at them. Fire, shadows, and electricity had no affect on him. This did not bode well for them.

Jinx fired a few hexes at Molock but the energy was absorbed into the aura making it bigger. Immediately, lightning began to form inside the aura as it struck random places making them explode. The ground began to shake as Molock dug his feet deeper into the pavement. A crater began to form where he stood, deepening with every five seconds.

Soon his body began to change as he grew in size at nine feet tall. His armor and sword melded into his skin, where they went no one knew but they were more concerned about this transformation.

Tokyo wasn't the only place that felt what was happening. All over Japan, earthquakes and hurricanes began to occur everywhere. Even in the cities by the shoreline of the ocean were feeling it as tidal waves began to crash into the port and became bigger and bigger with each crash.

The sky began to change from the tranquil blue to a fiery red. When everyone in Japan saw this they began to panic yelling things like "It's the end of the World!" or "Armageddon is upon us!"

The religious factors began running into the nearest churches or temples they could find thinking a holy place could protect them. The holy buildings just crumbled, crushing and killing anyone in them.

One person, however, was not panicking as he stood atop the Tokyo Tower observing the battle between the High General of Hell, a Tamaranean, two half demons, a Vampangel, two Metahumans, a witch, one regular human and human endowed with mystical power.

He had been watching them from the very beginning seeing if he would have to interfere. But apparently he didn't and would only do so if they were to be at the brink of being killed.

The young man wore a brown trench coat, a pitch white t-shirt, navy blue jeans and regular walking shoes. He was lean in muscle and had attractive facial features. His hair was a dark blue color and his eyes were a crystal blue.

He wouldn't have to interfere if he didn't have to. But if he did, he would make sure that the demon would pay.

He looked up at the sky as it began to ever slowly return to its normal color, "He's nearly done."

Molock was almost done transforming as the crater he was standing in was much deeper than before which hid his entire body but NOT the demonic aura. His fingers grew larger as they developed into clawed fingers. His body began to change from an albino white to an obsidian black, then to red, to yellow, and finally to a dark green.

His head grew as his eyes began to shrink and disappear. His mouth became sealed shut but quickly opened as it showed teeth that were the size of baseballs and sharp enough to rip through a planet. Three eyes opened on Molock's head, two were at the place where they were supposed to be; however the third eye was placed in the middle of his forehead. His arms, torso and legs began to grow bigger as muscles became visible and began to pop with veins.

It was almost complete and there was nothing the mortals could do to stop it. Outside of crater the Titans plus Ekelo ceased their attacks as it just sped up the process of his transformation and began to formulate a plan instead.

They weren't doing a good job as they did not know how much more powerful Molock would be at the end of his transformation. In the crater an explosion rang fourth in the hole as the others looked at it. They waited for anything that might happen but nothing did.

Pluto cautiously went forward ever so slowly as he peeked into the hole. What he found was surprising, "He's gone!"

As he turned to the others Jinx spoke up, "Did he blow himself up?"

"If only we were that lucky," said Ekelo knowing full well that the High General of Hell could not have possibly turn tail and ran. It wasn't his style and Ekelo knew it; but where was he?

The ground beneath Pluto erupted open as the nine foot tall demon burst out sending Pluto high into the sky. When Pluto and Molock were air born Molock grabbed Pluto by the leg as the demon came down and slammed the Knight on the ground creating a large crack. He spun him around and flung him at a flying Blackfire. She caught him but was sent back into a building and through it only to be sent through several others.

Kim was shocked at the latest turn of events. She had faced some scary things, sure, but this was completely out of her league. Fighting Shego was one thing, and fighting the Jackal was also something else. This, however, was far from what she was used to. She then felt a firm squeeze on her shoulder and looked up to see Ron smiling at her. His faceplate had slid into his helmet and so had his visor.

"Relax, KP," he told her, "This guy just got uglier. Although, I never thought he could get any uglier." Kim couldn't help but laugh a bit. Ron always knew how to cheer her up.

Shadowcobra staggered in his stance while supporting himself with his scepter. He had sensed the power coming from Molock and cringed. It was nearly close to the amount of power Yoshido held. They could not defeat him before, and now that he had transformed, it didn't seem like they even stood a chance. The Knights' Survivor Modes had failed and they were now down to their normal modes. He looked to Raven and she was visibly shaking with fear. She too sensed the dark power radiating from Molock.

((This is not good…)) Yaminekoryu said from within Draco's mind. He had heard rumors about Molock's TRUE strength but there had not been any documented records of it. Now, he had front row seats to the experience.

He wished he was somewhere else.

Molock looked at the group who was all hesitant to attack. "**Round one is over, so before we begin round two I have a simple question to ask all of you. Do have what it takes to play with the big boys?**" said Molock, his voice no longer spectral but deep and demonic.

The voice reminded Raven of her father's and it sent a chill up her spine.

"**Because I'm going to slaughter each and every one of you saves for only two.**"

* * *

Prof Murata and Wade were in the Secret HQ of the Knights that was built right under Smart Brain Corporation. They were watching the battle through various monitors. 

"Not good," Wade commented.

"I know, this Molock's power is immense. The readouts are going through the roof." the Prof. agreed, "I know the Knights have faced various monsters before, but this is way out of their league."

"I agree. Kim has never faced anything of this magnitude, and neither has Ron," Wade replied.

"I hope the ones that Ichijyo-san had called have arrived because they're going to need all the help they can get."

"But aren't they-" Wade began.

"Just kids? Yes. However, some of these kids have experience with threats of the mystical and supernatural kind plus have saved the world once or twice. If anyone can help the others, they can"

Wade looked at her skeptically and then back at the monitor, "Let's just hope they can make a difference."

To Be Continued…

* * *

ZK Chromedragozoid: Cyclops, Fuji, Molock, Ekelo, The Order, The Crusaders all belong to Dr. Evans. Libra shows up in human form, pretty nice, huh? Well, this is gonna be one tough battle. If they couldn't kill Molock before, how will they when he's in his transformed state? Things are gonna get ugly for them, I guarantee… 

And remember when Shadow asked for some new recruits? Well, they'll be lending in a hand or two.

Libra may or may not pass the Legend Cards to the Knights. Who knows? I don't think the Knights are ready yet, though.


	48. PT048: New Players

Part 48: New Players

"Okay…this is bad," Draco looked at his gauntlet. The armor was fizzling and flaking off, "We're running out of time," he added, "And power!"

Shadow felt his armor slowly disintegrating, "Not good…it must've been when we used our Survivor Cards. We used up too much power in the last attack."

"You think!" Pluto snapped sarcastically, "We're facing one butt ugly demon thing and we're running out of power!"

"And I thought he couldn't get any uglier," Blackfire commented.

"No time for jokes, Blackfire," Shadowcobra hissed, "EVERYONE! FIRE AT WILL!"

The teen heroes let loose with their attacks on the transformed Molock; Pluto shot out lightning bolts, Blackfire used her starbolts, Jinx was hurling hexes, Draco was shooting out fireballs, Kim had changed both her arms into energy cannons and started shooting energy beams, Animorph fired energy bolts from the Scepter of Hanuman, Raven, Shadow and Ekelo fired darkness energy at him.

Their attacks had no affect on him.

Molock let out a howl-like laugh and opened his mouth. "**Pathetic**." His mouth was filled with razor sharp teeth. A red glow started to emit from within his throat. Everyone gasped.

"EVERYONE!" Shadow shouted, "SCAT-" but he was too late. Molock let loose a beam of red and black demonic energy from his mouth that struck all of the teenaged superheroes. They were all sent flying, all over the place, from the force of the blast. Some slammed through windows, others onto the sidewalk, and a few into several objects like mailboxes, lamp posts and benches.

Shadow, Draco and Pluto got back up, groaning. The Dragon Knight saw Jinx lying on the street. Her clothes were smoking and so was her hair. He weakly got up, trying to reach her, "Jinx…" Molock quickly shoulder tackled him and sent him flying across the street. Pluto grabbed onto his legs and sent electricity through the demon's body. Molock shrugged it off and kicked Pluto's hands away before falling down, with his elbow out, crushing the Dog Knight under him. He smirked and pulled up Pluto, letting him dangle in his grasp by his leg. Molock then pounded the Knight of invulnerability continuously into the ground like a rag doll until it began to crack. His armor shattered and disappeared from the force of Molock's relentless attacks on his body.

"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" Blackfire screamed as she shot out a concentrated beam of violet energy at Molock. The Demon General lifted up his hand and blocked it. Blackfire gasped. She was then shot back by a crimson beam from Molock.

Draco fell close to Jinx and reached out with his hand. Jinx groggily started to wake up. She was in so much pain and was weak as well. She saw Draco reaching out for her and then reached out with her own hand. She was hurting all over. She coughed out some blood. "Baby…" she said, tears falling from her eyes. She watched as Draco's armor shattered away, leaving a battered, broken, bloody, and bruised Ryuki Leonard Hasuma. She said weakly, "Ryuki…"

Draco's eyes slowly opened. That was the first time he heard Jinx call him by his first name. He gave her a weak smile before his fingers laced with hers.

Ron was helping Kim up. His Monkey Armor had dissolved and he was left in his beat up battle suit. Kim's suit was sparking all over and was heavily damaged with some of her skin being exposed and the blue glow flashing on and off. The red glow of Ron's black bodysuit was also flaking on and off. He grasped the Lotus Blade tightly.

"Ron…" Kim said slowly, "What's the sitch?" she was bleeding from her hairline and was slightly limping. She must have a sprained ankle or something.

"This is bad, KP," he told her, "Mondo bad."

"We'll win. Team Possible, remember? We can do anything," she smiled weakly at him, trying to encourage him.

"By anything, does that count dying young?" Ron said to her with a grim frown. There were bleeding scratches on his faces and his hair was more messy than usual. Kim's eyes widen. The gravity of the situation had just increased. This could mean that Team Possible's days were numbered.

Shadow was starting to slip in and out of consciousness as he stared up at Molock's hulking form. His armor had shattered away. Was there any way they could beat him? He used his senses to find Raven and then found her, being supported by Ekelo. They were in pretty bad shape. Suddenly, he felt someone grab him and pull him up by his hair. He either didn't care or had lost feeling in his entire body. It was probably the latter.

"**Interesting isn't it?**" Molock stared at him, eye to eye. Shadow spat blood in his face. Molock's lips curled from a sneer to a snarl as he swung Shadow into a nearby wall. The young Snake Knight felt several bones breaking. "**That should teach you to show some** **respect!**"

"Kiss…my…bloody…arse!" Shadow hissed. Molock roared and began pounding Shadowcobra like a rag doll.

Raven saw this and yelled out, "LEAVE HIM ALONE! AZERATH METRION ZINTHOS!" she summoned up several large rocks and hurled them at Molock. Molock then turned and used Shadowcobra as a shield. The rocks shattered against the Snake Knight's body, possibly breaking even more bones and injuring him more, on the outside and in. Raven gasped, "No…"

"**Wow…you should've seen that coming, Daughter of Trigon**," Molock mocked. He lifted up Shadowcobra so that Raven could get a good look at him. Blood was dripping from his body, staining his clothes as well as the ground, "**But you didn't, and your little** **pet just paid the price**."

Raven stared at her hands and shivered with horror. She looked up at Ekelo who was both mad and sad. This was the fate of those who got too close to him. It was all HIS fault!

Molock threw Shadowcobra at Raven's feet like garbage. Raven got out of Ekelo's grasp and kneeled down, close to tears. The salty liquid fell upon Shadowcobra's face. She started to become…angry. The pendant around her neck began to glow, suppressing her powers. No more. She grasped it and tore it off her neck with one swift motion. She was going to show this fiend the full force of the 'Daughter of Trigon'. "Stand back," she warned Ekelo before adding, "And take care of him." She was talking about Shadowcobra. Ekelo nodded.

"Be careful Raven," Ekelo told her. Raven smiled but it then turned into an evil grin as her eyes started to glow red. Her hair started to grow longer as her dark aura surrounded her.

Molock stared at her with slight interest, "**So, Trigon's spawn wants to play?**"

Raven's voice turned demonic, "**You're going to pay for hurting Ichijyo, do you hear me? You're going to suffer my RAGE…" **the black aura surrounded her. Her clothes changed to her familiar uniform; the leotard and cloak. She became taller and her cloak grew with her, covering her body. Black tentacles came out from under the blue cloak. Another pair of red eyes slowly opened up above Raven's normal pair, which was now red as well.

Shadow's body started to emit smoke. Ekelo stared. Shadow was healing himself. The bones joined back together and all of the visible wounds disappeared. His clothes were still stained with blood. His eyes slowly opened up and then shot wide open. He was sensing another dark aura, slightly weaker than Molock's but not any less terrifying. He slowly got up and then saw IT! "No!" he gasped. Raven had just turned into her demonic form. "Raven…"

"She needs our help," Ekelo spoke up but flinched. His body was in pain. Shadow saw this. He then raised his hands and a white glow came out of them, healing the half demon. Ekelo stared. Shadow answered without being asked.

"I'm a half angel too, remember?" the Knight of Invisibility answered, "Come on, this battle's not over yet."

"But what about the others?" Ekelo asked, "They're wounded too."

Shadowcobra closed his eyes, contemplating, "I'm going to heal them. You help Raven."

"Won't that use up a lot of your energy? And won't you reveal yourself?" Ekelo asked. He knew that Shadow had never told his two fellow Knights of his true self.

"Now is not the time to worry about that, Ekelo. Now go," Shadow said in a commanding voice. Ekelo nodded and rushed to help Raven. "Now is the time to go all the way with my angel powers." He closed his eyes and concentrated. His hair started to change from blue, to black, to silver. A pair of white wings started to sprout from his back. His eyes slowly opened, revealing a pair of crystal blue orbs. Ethereal light began to emit itself from his body. He jumped up and spread his wings out. He spread his arms out, "Let the healing, begin," his body began to emit a white light.

Ekelo had formed a pair of black katanas and was helping Raven against Molock. Even in her demonic form, she was no match for the General as he dodged the lashes of her black tentacles. He knew that touching them was a bad idea as he felt his energy start to drain away from a single touch from them. Molock merely dodged her strike and was surprisingly fast for a demon his size. He continuously dodged the strikes of the two half demons. Suddenly, the sky was filled with light. Was it morning already? He suddenly felt the powers of an angel…How was that possible? He opened his eyes and all three of them went wide with shock.

There standing side by side were the once injured teens, now completely healed. Standing in front of them was an angel, but at the same time not. It was Shadowcobra and he was using his full angelic powers.

"Time to end this, Molock," Shadow hissed. He forced the wings back into himself and his hair turned back to black. He then unleashed his second side; the vampire one. His hair spiked up and had blood red highlights in them. His irises became red while the whites turned black. His pupils became narrow slits. Black demonic bat-like wings replaced the white angel wings. His ears then became slightly pointed and his fangs became sharper and longer. The mark on his forehead began to glow. The other teens watched as Shadow had turned from an angel to a vampire. The Vampire's blood red lips curled into smirk.

Draco began, "Thanks for the healing thing, but I think you might want to explain some things to us, Shadow."

"After you explain about Yaminekoryu, Draco," Shadow retorted.

Yaminekoryu showed up in spectral from, snickering, "He's got you there!"

"Shut up!" Draco snapped, earning weird stares from everyone as he was the only one who could see the spirit.

Raven and Ekelo moved away from Molock to regroup with the others. Raven, still in her demonic form, gently wrapped her tentacles around the vampiric half-breed and stroked another through his hair.

"**I like the new look**…" Raven complimented as her tongue came out to lick his snow white face. The others blanched.

"This is getting freaky," Blackfire spoke up.

"I agree," Kim added, "This is Gross with a capital G."

"It's kinda romantic," Jinx said, "In a sick demonic way."

Shadow was enjoying the attention he got from Raven before his attention got back to Molock. He told her, putting the pendant back around her neck, "Time to turn back to normal, luv." He kissed his beautiful demoness on the lips. Raven shrank down and her tentacles moved back into the cloak. She pulled down her hood.

"Did I just lick your face?"

"Yes you did," Shadow smirked, "I liked it." He reverted back to his human form. He looked at his hand and a small pair of energy orbs formed; one black, the other white. If his dark powers didn't work, maybe a little light power would work. Maybe, mixing the two a bit might work as well.

Molock looked at the teens. He snorted. So what if they were healed? They were still no match for him. He was confident in his demonic power and that he could take these whelps down. He did it before and he could do it again.

It was still 9 to 1. However, Molock was three times more powerful than before. The Knights' Survivor Modes were useless now and their attacks either had no affect or merely bounced off his greenish skin.

Molock stared at them with his three evil eyes. He gave off a toothy grin, sneering at them with sadistic and malicious intentions in his mind.

"We're going to need a lot of help to take this blighter down," Shadow stated the obvious. He grasped his Zodiac Deck tightly. He didn't have enough power for another transformation and neither did Draco and Pluto.

"We're screwed, aren't we?" Pluto asked. The Snake Knight shrugged.

"Pretty much."

"Dear Kamisama, I wish you had good news, Ichijyo-san," Draco said worriedly.

"One way to do it, Dragon," Ekelo narrowed his white eyes, "We fight to the bitter end."

"I'm not too keen on that idea," Draco said, frightened.

"Then you're a coward," Ekelo said under his breath. Draco's anger rose up, and so did Jinx's.

"My Ryuki is not a coward!" Jinx snapped.

Shadow raised an eyebrow, "Did she just say your first name?"

"Yeah," Draco rubbed the back of his head shyly, "It kinda happened when we were severely injured."

"**As much as I hate to interrupt this touching scene**," Molock growled sarcastically, "**It's** **time for me to kill you now**…"

Yaminekoryu snapped, "Why don't you just go to Hell?"

"**Been there, done that, liked it. Anymore questions, traitor?**"

Draco rolled his eyes, "Nice one, Yaminekoryu. Tell me, were you really this dumb before I got you or did you just lose your intelligence over the last couple of centuries?" Yaminekoryu just hissed angrily before retreating back into his host's body.

"**Now then, where was I?**" Molock began to contemplate while rubbing his chin with his grotesquely long fingers. He snapped his fingers, "**Now I remember, this is the part where** **I kill all of**-" He got suddenly cut off. Why, you ask? Well, he just got sent flying when a black armored Humvee rammed into him, sending him, and itself, tumbling all over the road. Molock crashed into the sidewalk as the hummer continued to roll and then stopped when it landed on its side. The teenage superheroes, minus Ekelo, had their eyes staring wide open and sweatdropped.

"Uh…" Draco didn't know what to say. Then Jinx continued for him.

"What just happen?"

"Let's see…" Blackfire clicked her tongue, "The big demon guy was ranting and then got run over by a big army truck."

"Not just any truck, Blackfire. That one belongs to Smart Brain," Pluto pointed at the emblem painted on the hood of the vehicle.

"Question is; who's driving?" Raven inquired.

Shadowcobra's SB Cell suddenly rang. "Why now?" he groaned. He pulled it out of his pocket, flipped it open and answered, "Yes?"

"I don't think now is the time to be receiving phone calls," Ekelo said in an irritated tone. He then grew curious when he saw a smirk on Shadow's face.

Shadow grinned before flipping the phone close and then turned to the others, "Everyone, the cavalry has arrived."

Molock picked himself up and glared at the Hummer. He let out a loud and furious roar before firing one of his demonic energy beams, blowing it up. The assembled heroes gasped.

"NO!" Kim yelled.

Shadow, of course, was still smiling. Molock trudged towards them, furious that his rant had been interrupted. He smirked as he stared at the remnants of the Humvee, now a scorching and burning pile of scrap metal. His three eyes narrowed at the heroes. He sneered, "**Time to die.**" He let his mouth open wide and collected as much energy as he could.

"EAT MISSILE!" yelled a female voice from the sky. The Titans, Team Possible, and Ekelo looked up to see a blue and white missile shoot through the air and into Molock's mouth. Molock was forced to swallow it and then the missile detonated, right in his throat. (BOOM!) It was not a pretty sight. He glared up, holding onto his regenerating, yet injured, throat, silently demanding who had attacked him.

"DRAGON UP!" the heroes heard another cry, this time male with a New York accent. A red and yellow dragon with leathery wings and black and green hair flew off the roof tops and began breathing fire on Molock. This proved to be more annoying to Molock then hurtful.

"HEY UGLY! EAT FIST!" a girl jumped into the battle, out of nowhere, and smashed her fist into the side of Molock's face, dislodging several sharp teeth. The girl was Chinese, wearing a green shirt, blue jeans and had a pink streak in her long black hair. Molock swung his claws out, but they went right through the girl, not harming her at all. It was like the girl was a ghost. Molock then heard a powerful male voice.

"EAT THIS!" a teenage boy with white hair and glowing green eyes, dressed in a black jumpsuit with a white belt, collar, boots and gloves, appeared behind the girl. The girl jumped far away. Molock stared as the boy took in a deep breath of air and SCREAMED! The boy's scream was laced with green energy that pushed Molock away and doing damage to him as well. A lot of the surrounding area sustained damage as well, but not as much as the damage Molock was getting dished with. The boy stopped his attack and floated down. The dragon landed close by, followed by the girl and then a white and blue female robot. The boy with white haired heaved, but was fine, just drained. He would recover soon.

"Who the heck are they?" Blackfire asked.

"And did they just hurt that thing?" Jinx continued, equally awed.

Shadow smiled and approached the four. He extended his hand to the boy in the black and white jumpsuit, "Glad you could make it, Phantom."

"Think nothing of it, Shadow," The Ghost Boy, Danny Phantom, greeted as they shook hands. Draco and Pluto went to welcome them as well.

"Yo Jake! How's it hanging?" Draco greeted, high-fiving the dragon.

"Just chillin'! Bein' hot! How about you, D?" the dragon spoke up.

"It's been awhile, Jenny," Pluto greeted the robot girl and Jenny smiled.

"Likewise, Pluto," the girl let out a giggle.

The black haired girl with the pink streak then asked, "Hey…um…Where's Tazuka?"

At this, the Knights suddenly went silent.

"Tazuka…he…" Draco began.

Molock let out a roar, enraged. He was fully healed but his demonic honor had been challenged by these 4 interlopers. He roared, "**I WILL NOT BE MADE A FOOL OF BY HUMAN PUPS!**" he charged.

"Talky later," Danny said, rising up into the air, "Fighty now!"

"Right!" Draco agreed.

Shadow shouted, "EVERYONE, GET HIM!"

Molock raised up both his arms, but suddenly a white and blue blur and a red and black blur came out of no where, slashing them off. Molock let out a scream as his arms were now stumps. "**WHO DARES?"**

"We do," the blurs landed near the heroes. One was wearing white and blue armor with matching gauntlets and boots worn over a blue bodysuit. Blue tiger stripes decorated his white chest plate. His white helmet fully concealed his head and had a white visor with a black slit going down the middle and two horizontal slits crossing over that were reminiscent of a Siberian tiger. "Zodiac Knight Tiger."

"And Zodiac Knight Lion," Tiger's partner was tanked in black and red armor with matching gauntlets and boots that were worn over a red bodysuit. His black helmet fully covered his head and was equipped with a red jagged visor, reminiscent to that of a lion's mane. This was Zodiac Knight Lion.

Both new Knights gripped their battle axes tightly. Tiger's axe had a single blade while Lion's had two jagged blades.

Molock seethed angrily, allowing his arms to grow right back. His old arms rotted away, releasing an odious odor.

"YOU CAME!" Draco exclaimed, running up to Lion and Tiger and slapping them on the backs.

"The Prof. contacted us. Plus, we were nearby, so what the heck?" Tiger shrugged.

"And I want to test my metal against this demon you were fighting," Lion spoke venomously.

Shadowcobra smiled. Their allies had just increased.

Molock stared at the new players with looks of murder in his eyes. He began powering up his eyes to shoot lasers. However, someone beat him to it.

"HEAT BEAM EYES!" two pairs of beams shot out and hit two of Molock's eyes. Molock placed his hands on his eyes and roared. What now? Why was it that he was always interrupted when he tried to kill these insects?

Ron recognized that voice, "That's Brick!" Brick, or Zodiac Knight Boar, walked into the scene, tanked in his heavy battle armor. Not far behind was a Knight in white and red armor; Zodiac Knight Doc. "And Felix! You came!"

"Wade contacted us, said it was urgent," Doc said.

"So we got here as fast as we could," Boar added, summoning his battle rake.

"Well, guys, we're going to need your help with this sitch," Kim told them.

"Let us at him then," Boar nodded.

Jinx began to ask, "Okay! What's going on?"

"Who are they?" Raven continued.

"And how do you know them?" Blackfire finished.

Pluto, Draco and Shadow answered their girlfriends, "They're our allies."

To Be Continued…

ZK Chromedragozoid: Well, I've added in some new characters. Danny Phantom, Juniper Lee, Jake Long and XJ-9 are property of their respective creators and networks. Lion and Tiger are mine and so are Doc and Boar. Doc and Boar's human identities (Felix and Brick) are property of Disney, like Kim and Ron. The Teen Titans are property of WB and DC. Molock and Ekelo come from Dr. Evans.

Well, now the odds have changed (17 to 1) but will that be enough? Well, you gotta stay tune for more as ZKD: Shadows of the Past continues.


	49. PT049: Renia's Shopping Trip

Part 49: Renia's Shopping Trip

Libra donned his Zodiac Armor and gripped his Staff of the Sacred Beasts, Fuji saw this and then said, "You know that you aren't allowed to intervene, right?"

"I know," Libra said, "But that's my son and his friends down there."

"Have you little faith in their abilities?" Fuji asked. Libra froze. "Trust me and them; they will defeat Molock."

"For your sake, Fuji-sama, they better."

Fuji then spoke, "And we aren't the only ones watching this. A Crusader is close by."

* * *

On top of Tokyo Tower was the young man who looked to be in his twenties with dark blue hair and crystal blue eyes. He was the same man that was watching them, but then again to call him a man would be far from the truth… he was, in actuality, a Crusader.

His name was Jason, one of the fifteen angelic warriors that have fought since the beginning of the Holy War between the forces of Good and Evil.

He looked at the battle field miles away and smiled slightly. He saw that several new players had joined; several he knew personally and the others he had kept an eye on or had just heard of.

Juniper Lee was a young girl who most of The Order considered inexperienced and too young to be the next Te Xuan Ze. However, while he did agree with the inexperienced part he knew that all of the previous Te Xuan Ze started out as inexperienced people, some boys and some girls.

But, he knew that she had potential and was always willing to save anyone especially demons and monsters that were not evil.

Believe it or not, during the turn of the twentieth century, demons were becoming more neutral and those that were not evil, but at the same time not neutral, worked for The Order.

The other was Jacob Long, the American Dragon. He didn't much like Jake; it wasn't because he was a dragon, it was because he refused to take responsibility for his actions and tried to solve some things with magic.

The last one was known as Danny Phantom. According to Gabriel, the messenger of the Crusaders, the halfa had an incredible destiny before him and was to be protected by both the Crusaders and The Order. Of course, for some reason, The Order hadn't covered up the spectral beings known as ghosts; it was quite possibly because it only resided within one small town known as Amity Park.

If the ghosts started to spread out more, he knew that The Order would have to take the problem seriously and take action.

The other he only heard about on the news but never paid much attention to her. She was known as XJ9 but she was also called something else, right now he couldn't remember.

The four he knew as Zodiac Knights. They were Boar, Doc, Lion and Tiger, each of which were more powerful and since they had joined the battle it looked like the group stood at a better chance of winning this battle.

But, things were still much grimmer than they would admit. Because, even though it looked like they had the advantage, strength in numbers meant nothing to a demon much less a High General of Hell.

But, if things got bad, he would interfere. After all, it was his job as a Crusader to destroy demonic entities, even though he was going to be saving two half-demons who would bring about the end of the world.

He frowned at the thought but knew of what Lance had said to them when they gathered to discuss what was to be done about Raven and Ekelo.

_"They are not be harmed because both of them will become the instrument of destruction against the beings they were spawned from!"_

It had made sense, in a way, but if the plan had failed then they would have to take down both Trigon and Lord Terrorsan by themselves.

So now he would just wait for the moment when he would have to intervene in the battle. If he was lucky he wouldn't have to, but then again he was hoping he wouldn't have to.

* * *

( Titans Tower, Jump City, America)

Renia lay asleep on a cot in Terra's room. It was at Terra's suggestion and everyone agreed, except Starfire who wanted the young Alchemist to room with her. Renia accepted Terra's offer, knowing Starfire's almost too sunny disposition and staying the night with her may involve her going insane from sharing 'girl talk' and 'performing braiding maneuvers' upon each other's hair. Renia groggily and slowly opened her eyes before rubbing them with her one ungloved hand. She stared at her right hand and sighed. She never took off the glove, ever. Not since…not since that day, two months ago.

She looked at the window at the first rays of sunshine broke in. It had been a very long time since Renia had a decent place to sleep. She always slept in boxes or in basements of abandoned buildings. She always made sure the place was safe, and created a safe-house for herself made out of unbreakable crystal. She then yawned and got back to sleep.

She was only asleep for two minutes before she was rudely woken up. The culprit: the alarm.

"IM UP! I'M UP!" Terra threw off her blanket. She was in her uniform since she slept in it last night. She put on her gloves, goggles and boots before rushing out of her room. Renia stared as the geokinetic high tailed it out of the room. The alarms stopped blaring, signifying that the Titans had gone to the city to fight crime. Renia pulled the blanket over herself and fell back asleep

2 hours later…

The Titans had gone out and stopped the HIVE 5. Well, Gizmo and Mammoth were no longer part of that group, apparently. The villains they fought were Private HIVE, Billy Numerous, Seemore, Kyd Wykkyd, and his girlfriend Angel.

"Man that was one tough battle!" Beast Boy groaned, "What were those HIVE rejects after anyway?"

"Possibly money or something valuable," Robin shrugged, "Either way, we stopped them."

"It was unfortunate that they escaped," Starfire added sadly.

"But it was funny when Private HIVE lost his pants," Terra giggled, "And shield."

"However, I do not enjoy the ogling that Seemore was doing on us," Starfire blushed, feeling embarrassed. Terra punched her open palm.

"The next time he does that, his eye isn't the only thing that's gonna be sore."

"You fight these villains all the time?" DT asked, amazed.

"You get used to it," Robin smiled, "By the way, thanks for stopping Kyd Wykkyd from taking all of the loot."

"It was easy once I triangulated where his portal would appear again before he used it to make his escape with all of the valuables," DT nodded.

Beast Boy scratched his head, not understanding all of the big words, "Huh?"

"He said that he knew where Kyd's portal was gonna show up before he used it to get away with the loot," Cyborg simplified for his friend.

Renia skipped into the room, wearing a yellow sundress, "Hey guys!" she said happily, "You're back!" her hair was down and she still had her glove on.

Beast Boy just had to open his stupid mouth and say, "Dude! You're a girl!" (POW!) he was sent flying by Renia with a powerful punch.

"OF COURSE I'M A GIRL! WHAT? DO YA THINK I LOOK LIKE BOY, DO YA? YOU THINK I'M TOO UNDERDEVELOPED, HUH? I'M SHORT, HUH?" she yelled out shaking her fist. She noticed the other Titans staring. She calmed down, blushing, embarrassed by her outburst, "Sorry…"

Beast Boy groaned, "No…" he raised up a finger before passing out.

"You sure have a temper," Terra commented. She then accesses Renia's wardrobe. Renia didn't have much and merely wore whatever could fit her from Terra's wardrobe. Renia was 13, but had the body of a ten year old. Something had to be done. Suddenly, a light bulb lit up above Terra's head. She then asked the young Alchemist, "Hey Renia, want to go shopping for some new clothes?" this perked up Renia's interest as well as Starfire's.

"Oh yes! Let us go to the Mall of Shopping to attain new clothing for friend Renia!" Starfire said gleefully.

"But can you find anything her size?" Cyborg commented. He then caught a glare coming from the hot tempered alchemist. Cyborg raised up his hands and laughed, weakly, "I'm kidding!"

Renia sighed, calming down, "I guess it'd be okay…but I don't have any money and I don't want to trouble you guys." _Plus I don't want to be a charity case! _

Terra rolled her eyes, "Come on! Don't be like that! We're friends! Sides, you do need your own wardrobe, right?"

Renia nodded. She really did. Borrowing Terra's stuff wasn't going to be enough for her. She needed her own clothes.

Terra snapped her fingers, "Then it's settled. Let's go, Renia!" she grabbed Renia's gloved hand but then felt a jerk as Renia pulled away, clutching onto it.

"Sorry," Renia apologized, "I just don't like it when people touch THAT hand…"

"Okay…" Terra was getting a strange feeling. Renia's hand had felt hard…like rock or something. Well, no time to think about that. "Well, let's go." Terra walked towards the stairs that led towards the roof and Renia followed, Starfire not too far behind.

On the roof, Renia looked around, "So, where's our ride?" she asked.

"I'll take care of that," Terra winked. Her eyes flashed yellow as she used her powers to summon up a boulder onto the roof. She hopped on. "Jump on, Ren," Terra offered.

Renia raised an eyebrow, "Did you just call me Ren?"

Starfire spoke up hastily, "Please do not be offended. It is just that-"

"It's okay, Starfire," Renia said calmly, "It's just that…my parents used to call me that." There was silence, for about 5 seconds, before Renia spoke again. "And it's okay, Terra. You can call me Ren."

Terra smiled again as Renia, now Ren, jumped onto the boulder. "Hold on tight!" Terra warned before towards the city with Rina clutching tightly on the back of the geomancer's shirt. Starfire flew beside them.

They didn't notice that they were being watched.

* * *

On one of the many monitor screens within Slade's hideout was Renia's face. Who was watching you should ask? Slade…

Slade's single eye narrowed. He turned his attention to his son, Grant, and asked, "Is this the girl?"

"Yes it is, father," Grant replied, obediently. His uniform was a black suit, similar to Slade's but without the mask and the armor plating was green, not silver. His father's emblem decorated the centre of the suit.

"We were able to see her turn one of your prized robots into crystal daddy," Rose added, wearing a blue and orange uniform with metal arm bands and boots, as well as knee and shoulder pads. She wore a bandanna over her head and a sword was slung on her back.

"Interesting…" Slade said as he turned his attention back to the screen.

"Do you want us to go after her, Slade-sama?" asked Kat as she wheeled herself into the room. She was in a wheelchair and was still in her bandages. Joey was behind her, panting.

((Slow down, Kat!)) Joey wheezed mentally. He was dressed in a black shirt and pants with matching boots, orange bracelets and an orange and black sleeveless tunic. (It's designed after the costume from the cartoon, but with a color change) The Slade emblem was over his right breast.

"Kat…" Slade turned around and glared at his apprentice, "What are you doing here?"

Kat replied, "I heard everything and I want to help."

"I see…" Slade sighed, "Have you looked yourself in the mirror lately?"

"I can still fight! Watch!" Kat got up from her wheelchair…and promptly fell flat on her face. Grant let out a chuckle while Rose went to help her up.

"Kat, you should be resting," Rose chided.

Kat grumbled before she was wheeled away by Rose. Slade shook his head.

"Why did you ever choose her as your apprentice, father?" Grant asked.

"Honestly, I am not so sure anymore. I believe I saw a bit of myself in her. However, she is quite stubborn and lacks very little concern for her own welfare," Slade replied, "Although, I do admire her…spirit…"

"But she's NUTS!" Grant yelled out.

"Is this about when she set her cat on you?" Slade inquired, "Because, as I recall, it was your fault to begin with."

Joey chuckled silently as Grant muttered something grumpily.

* * *

"Hey, come on Rose!" Kat yelled out, "I wanna join in too!"

"You should be in bed, resting. Moving around like this is not good for you since you haven't healed yet," Rose said as she pushed Kat's wheelchair. Kat surrendered. There was no arguing with her girlfriend about this so what was the point. Rose, as a trained assassin, was quite persuasive, she knew that much. They entered Kat's room and the mimicry Knight slowly crawled into bed. Rose pulled the blanket over her.

"Now, rest. You won't be any good to daddy if you're injured and continue to agitate the wounds," Rose reminded.

"Yes, honey…" Kat sighed, settling herself in bed. Rose extended her hand and Kat asked, "What?"

"Give it," Rose said in her most threatening voice. Kat muttered before reaching into her robe and pulling out her cat Deck, putting it in Rose's hand. Rose smiled, "I can't believe you manage to get this off Wintergreen."

"I was trained as a ninja, Rosey. It was child's play," Kat grinned proudly.

"Then I'll just have to give this to daddy."

"But-" but the cat Knight was cut off by a passionate kiss.

* * *

(The Mall)

The trio of girls reached the mall and entered. Ren looked around cautiously. She was never too comfortable around this many people. Frankly, she felt slightly claustrophobic all of a sudden, which was ridiculous since she wasn't a claustrophobe. In the meantime, the two Titans she had followed were leading her towards one of the clothing stores. They entered and Starfire was immediately welcomed with smiling faces. No doubt the alien was a regular here.

Moving along the many stands that held different types of clothing, the girls browsed through the many selections, looking for anything Renia's size. It wasn't easy, as Ren was a bit short, even for a teenager. Therefore, the choices that needed to be made weren't that varied. Ren then saw something that attracted her and ran towards it, grabbing it before moving alone, Terra and Starfire following after. When Ren was done, her selection was already in her arms.

"I'm gonna go and try these on," she said to them, before running into one of the dressing rooms. The two Titans waited for their little friend and when the curtain swung open, they clapped their hands in appreciation.

Ren was dressed in a black sleeveless zipped up shirt with white trimmings around the collar and the bottom. She also had on a matching pair pants. On her feet were brown boots, much like Terra's and she now wore two gloves, both black. She then put on the red jacket and fixed the lapels. Her hair was still untied. For a moment, you'd think she was a boy, if not for her long blonde hair. She asked, "Whaddya think?"

Starfire let out a squeal and quickly hugged Ren, "You are simply adorable, friend Ren!" Ren's face was starting to turn blue before Terra got her to let go of the young alchemist.

"Well, that's settled," Terra sighed, "Go change back before we go and find anything else you might like."

Ren nodded and escaped into the dressing room, quickly changing back into the yellow sundress.

After about an hour of shopping, the girls finally found everything that Ren needed for her wardrobe. Now, they were ready to go home. Ren, obviously, enjoyed herself shopping with the other two. She had on her first selection, the black shirt, pants and red jacket.

"Well now, where to?" Renia asked.

"I guess we should get a bite to eat at the food court," Terra rubbed her tummy, "I'm getting hungry."

"I am feeling slightly hungry as well," Starfire added.

"Well, let's go and eat then," Ren spoke up.

Suddenly the three of them heard laughter, a sort of insane cackling sound. Terra and Starfire identified it.

"It's Mumbo," they both said.

As if on cue, the insane magician was running away from several mall security officers before using his wand, "Hocus pocus!" the guards became stuck to the floor. Mumbo grinned and was about to make his escape when he heard a voice.

"HALT!" Satrfire yelled out, eyes glowing. Terra stood in a battle stance. Mumbo groaned.

"Not you again…" he then had a stroke of inspiration and started smiling, "Well, then it must be my lucky day! I need two lovely assistants for my next trick! Alakazam!"

Terra and Starfire were suddenly trapped in two wooden trunks, with chains tied around them before being flung into the fountain. With another laugh, he ran towards the door, only to have Renia blocking his way.

"Okay, mister!" Renia pointed, "Show's over!"

Mumbo chuckled, "Little girls should know their place. Now get out of the Amazing Mumbo's way or get turned into a bunny."

When Renia heard the word 'little' a vein popped up on her head, there was fire in her eyes and her teeth were gritted tight.

Uh oh.

Renia rushed forward, almost at inhuman speed, and punched the blue skinned magician in the jaw with her right fist. Mumbo was sent flying into a display window as he smashed right through.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING LITTLE YOU BLUE FACED HOUDINI WANNABE!" Renia yelled out as she made her way to Mumbo, grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, and showed him her fist.

"Nice punch you got there, kid," Mumbo raised his hands, "Let me give you a hand." Suddenly, his gloves flew off his hands and slapped Renia away with enough force to get her to let go of his coat. This was not helping Renia's temper. Mumbo dusted off his suit and then chanted, "Abracadabra!" sending several stuffed bunny rabbits at Renia, burying her under. "Well then, time to make my escape." Suddenly, there was a flash and all of Mumbo's stuffed bunnies turned to crystal. He blinked in disbelief. Suddenly, a hand smashed right through the crystal pile and punched Mumbo squarely in the nose. Renia then smashed her way through to give him a kick in the stomach.

Mumbo groaned. "Okay, so you wanna play, girly?" he took out a deck of cards, "Let's play!" he threw them at her. Renia ducked. The cards were razor sharp and stuck to the wall behind her. She looked at her sleeve and her eyes narrowed.

"THAT WAS A NEW JACKET YOU JERK!" she ran at him to punch him, but was blocked by a giant playing card, the Queen of Hearts.

"Young ladies should not raise their voices," the card spoke up and produced a scepter to hit Renia. Ren ducked and then touched the playing card with the tip of her finger. A transmutation circle formed and then the card turned into a crystal slab, which Renia eagerly punched through to grab Mumbo. But Mumbo wasn't there. She turned around and saw the mad magician making a mad dash towards the exit.

"So long sucker!" he laughed, right before he ran into a stone wall.

"Forgot about us, Mumbo?" Terra asked in a defiant way while Starfire picked up the wand and broke it in half. The two Titan girls had somehow gotten out of Mumbo's trap.

"How did you…?" he began to ask only for Terra to cut him off.

"Sorry, Mumbo Jumbo, a magician never reveals her secrets."

The police came and took Mumbo away. Starfire and Terra saw Renia, sitting at the fountain. There was broken crystal everywhere on the floor and people were watching her, whispering. Starfire and Terra immediately got to her and walked her out of the mall.

"We saw Mumbo had bruises and a broken nose," Starfire began.

"What did you do to him?" Terra asked.

Ren shrugged, "I was trying to take him down. I knew turning him to crystal was out of the question, so I decided to use my fists," she laughed bitterly, "Not smart, huh?"

"You're still learning, Ren," Terra said to her, "Just need a little more training."

Ren beamed, "Okay!"

"Let us go back and have our brunch that Cyborg has prepared!" Starfire spun in the air happily.

"Sounds like a plan, right Ren?" Terra asked.

Ren licked her lips, "What're we waiting for, let's go!"

* * *

(At Slade's Mansion)

"WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Kat squealed as she wheeled around on her wheelchair with an insane grin plastered on her face.

"ROSE!" Slade roared, "WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?"

"Nothing!" Rose said, "All I did was give her some hot chocolate!"

"WOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Kat zipped by again.

"She's more psychotic than normal!" Grant yelled out.

((Is she ever normal?)) Joey thought.

"Quick! Get the net!" Grant added, "And maybe some tranquilizers!" Kat ran over his foot. "YEOWCH!"

To Be Continued…

ZK Chromedragozoid: Boy did Mumbo get it. Just a show of Renia, or Ren's, power when she's trying to take down a wacky villain. For now, I'll have her encounter the wacky side of the Titans 'Rogues Gallery' with none of the heavy villains to dampen it. Boy, Ren is sure touchy about her height, isn't it? And did you pay attention to her clothing? Slight overshadowing. A little fluff for the Kat/Rose lovers out there.

Ren has sure become a popular character, next to Kat, according to Tanyeera. I'd like to say thanks and keep on r and r!

And it seems that Draco isn't the only one who can't handle chocolate. Well, you live and learn.


	50. PT050: Infiltration

Part 50: Infiltration

The **CODE** of the Zodiac Knights:

1. A Knight must not invade the domain of another Knight.

2. A Knight must not reveal the identity of another Knight to outsiders.

3. A Knight must accept a challenge from an opposing Knight.

4. A Knight must accept and uphold the terms of the challenge.

5. A Knight must fight in order to survive.

6. A Knight must fight until the end.

Such is the fate of the Zodiac Knights. For, in the end, there can be only one.

* * *

Orbiting outside of Earth's atmosphere, cloaked from the sensors of the JLU's Watchtower, was a large black and purple spaceship of menacing design. On the side of the ship was the undeniable symbol of the Deathtrons; a demonic purple face. Within the exterior of the ship were humanoid aliens, well grossly humanoid, that were manning the controls and equipment. Most of them seem to be technicians while others, carrying weapons, could be assumed as soldiers as they wore battle gear and armor with the Deathtron insignia decorating them. The ship's captain sat in a large throne in the centre of the bridge. He wore a black armoured military uniform with spiked shoulder pads, gauntlets and metal boots that held spikes on the soles. His head was hidden under a purple helmet that held a pair of massive horns. A black visor showed two glowing red eyes under it. He began to speak in an eerie voice.

"Lieutenant," he spoke in an ominous and eerie voice. A lone soldier stood up to attention wearing a black uniform that held the Deathtron symbol as well as a cap. His skin was a bluish color.

"Yes captain?" he answered.

"Have the soldiers retrieved the prototype?" the Captain asked.

"No sir, but the squad leader reported that the prototype had fallen to its death."

"Was there any confirmation? A body? Was a body found?"

"No sir…but they assume."

"ASSUME NOTHING!" the Captain roared, "If they haven't found the prototype, they should keep searching until they've found a body, understand?"

"Yes…captain," the Lieutenant looked up fearfully. "Should I give the order now, sir?"

"Yes, you should," the Captain replied, "Also, tell the squad to eliminate anything that gets in their way, with extreme prejudice and no mercy."

"As you command, Captain," The Lieutenant saluted before leaving to give the order.

The Captain grinned under his helmet. The 'Prototype's' power shall be his and his alone to command. Once found, it shall be brainwashed to serve the Deathtrons and to excite the War between the Deathtrons and the Sabretrons again. No one will stop his plans, no one.

* * *

Back in Titans Tower, DT was having his first taste of Pizza.

"By Primus!" he exclaimed, "This is slagging delicious!"

"Told you!" Cyborg grinned.

"You said it, DT," Renia agreed as she swallowed a piece of pizza in her mouth before chugging down some soda, "It's been a _long _time since I had pizza this good." Her blonde hair had been tied back in a tight braid and she was wearing her new black shirt with the matching pants. She wore brown gloves and on her feet were a pair of white sneakers."

"I'm glad you're enjoying it," Terra smiled as she enjoyed eating her pizza with the rest of the Titans.

"I like Starfire's choice of toppings, really," DT licked his lips as he took another slice.

"I do so enjoy the pickles, bananas, mustard, and mint frosting," Starfire beamed as she enjoyed her pizza. The pizza place had recently added a new portion to the menu, allowing customers to put their own toppings on the pizza. Most of the Titans thought it was a gross combination, but not DT. The alien bionic simply loved it.

"Hope nothing will ruin this moment," Beast Boy sighed as he began reaching over for another slice.

(BOOM!)

The Tower suddenly shook and the Titans fell back in their seats. Suddenly, the alarms blared, flashing red.

"WHAT THE HECK?" Renia yelled, trying to be heard over the alarm.

"WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!" Robin yelled as he ran over to the monitor and pulling up several images of the outside of the Tower. It was true, they were being under attack by soldiers dressed in black body armor and armed with advanced laser weapons. Starfire gasped.

"They are Deathtrons!"

"How can you tell, Star?" Terra asked. Starfire pointed to the symbol painted on one of the intruders' chests. There it was; a big demonic purple face.

* * *

(Slade's Hideout/Mansion)

Slade mused as he watched the monitors, "It seems the Titans are being attacked."

"Those are Deathtrons!" Kat yelled out, surprising everyone in the monitor room. Everyone turned their direction to the still injured Cat Knight who was walking with the help of a crutch. Slade glared.

"Katherine…Bed. Now," he scolded, pointing to the door. He then realized what Kat had said, "Wait, what did you mean, Deathtrons?"

Kat hopped on one leg and used the crutches to help her to get to the console. She began to explain to Slade and the rest of Team Tartarus, "My mama told me about them. The Deathtrons were an intergalactic evil organization that was based in the Orion System. The Deathtrons' goal was to take over worlds and to suck them dry. Another organization, the Sabretrons, fought against them in a war that span for over several million years."

"Million…" Grant started.

"Years…?" Rose added.

"Yeah, the war did not just hurt the planets they invaded, but also their home system, which was quickly running out of energy. So, each faction sent a team to look for other sources of power. The ships containing the teams crashed here on Earth, without any survivors." Kat continued. "My parents found the Sabretron ship on a fieldtrip and it gave them powers, along with several other students. They became a team and fought the incoming Deathtrons who wished to invade and takeover the Earth. That's as much as I know."

"Your parents got powers from aliens?" Grant scoffed, "Yeah right. Sounds like something from Power Rangers."

Kat glared and then said, "Jasmine, get him." The cat snarled and then proceeded to attack Grant, biting his 'little friend'. He screamed and ran around trying to get Jasmine off. The rest ignored his screams of pain.

"So, these Deathtrons have come here before?" Slade listened, interested.

"They mostly work in secret, not letting the general public know of them. This went on for a few years until a peace treaty was made between the factions, ending the war. That and because the Deathtrons' Supreme Leader, Vaiolangaizer, had been destroyed."

"Wow," Rose said, amazed.

"Don't know why they're here, though. Earth was supposed to be off limits to the Deathtrons based on the conditions made in the treaty," Kat thought.

"Well, this is interesting…and the Titans are starting to engage them," Slade said.

"What do you want us to do?" Kat asked.

Slade responded, "_You_ will do nothing but rest. Rose, however, will go and infiltrate the Tower and capture this Renia girl for me."

"You can count on me, daddy," Rose said to her father. "Wintergreen, take Kat back to her room."

"As you wish, Miss Rose. Come with me, Miss Katherine," the butler said this as he lead the Knight of Mimicry out, but not before Kat pecked Rose on the cheek.

"Be careful, Rose-chan," Kat said before leaving. Rose stood there, blushing red, while placing a hand on the spot Kat had kissed.

She smiled.

* * *

(Meanwhile, back in Tokyo, Japan.)

Raven, Blackfire, Jinx, Jake, Ekelo, June, Tiger, Lion, Doc and Boar continued with their assault on Molock, raining attack after attack on the Demonic General. Even without their armors, Draco, Shadow and Pluto were still giving it their all, as was Kim, Ron, Danny and Jenny.

"I may not have my armor," Shadow produced a shadow whip, "But I am not going down without a fight!" he lashed it out.

"That goes double for me!" Pluto took out some gadgets from his pockets, mainly small electronic bombs.

"And triple for me!" Draco flung fireballs at Molock.

Molock roared and was about to fire another energy blast when he caught a shadow fist (Ekelo) in the chin and an ecto-blast (Danny) in the back of the head. Jenny aimed and fired several missiles from cannons that were once were arms, while at the same time firing a high powered laser beam from a her chest compartment. Kim and Ron were using their martial arts skills and Ron's Lotus Blade was doing 'Bueno' damage on the demonic general.

"AZARATH, METRION, ZINTHOS!" Raven chanted and fired her dark energy beam into Molock's chest, sending him toppling over.

"Black!" Pluto shouted, "I need a boost!" he raised up his hands and they were caught by Blackfire. She then dropped him on Molock's chest. He was able to set some explosives, 10 in total, on the monster's chest before being slammed away by Molock's fist. With a grin, Pluto pressed a button on a detonator, "Boom baby! The explosives detonated and Molock screamed out. June went into the cloud and landed 10 punches in quick succession before following up with a kick that sent him down into the pavement.

Draco used his pyrokinesis to manipulate the flames. The fire formed into, not one, but 10 dragons that he sent to attack Molock, "I know you said that fire has nearly no effect you, but I don't think you can stand being slashed by fire dragon!" the dragons bit and slashed at Molock, and the demon's wounds were slowly healing, but a little too slow.

"Stand aside," Shadow said and produced a shadow spear. He then aimed and flung it like a javelin into one of Molock's open wounds. The demon General let out a loud anguished roar.

**"What did you do?" **Molock demanded.

"That's my Shadow Venom," Shadow smirked, "If you think it hurts now, then expect a little more as it slowly drains your power, reducing your flesh to liquid." He shrugged, "Although, I think the paralysis will settle in before all that happens, so you won't feel a thing."

Most of the others just blanched or grimaced.

"That is sick dude," Ron commented.

"Well this is sicker!" Jinx shot out a hex into Molock's infected arm, letting the venom run faster.

"**UGH**!" Molock tore off his arm and a new one grew to take its place.

"Okay, that is sick!" Ron corrected.

Molock slammed his fists onto the ground, sending out a shock wave that made the grounded heroes drop to the ground. The ones still in the air; Jenny, Danny, Blackfire, Jake and Raven continued their assault, shooting missiles, lasers, ecto-blasts, starbolts, fire and dark energy at him.

"It's our turn, isn't it, bro?" Tiger asked Lion.

"Yes, let him feel the might of the Ligers!" Lion agreed.

They collected energy into their free hands, Tiger's in blue and Lion's in red. They then shot the energy out in the form of two beasts, a glowing blue tiger and a glowing red lion.

The energy tiger froze Molock's legs in ice before the energy lion blew up in the demon's face. Tiger and Lion then activated their cards by sliding them into their axes.

"Strike Vent: Savage Tiger Claws!"

"Strike Vent: Savage Lion Claws!"

The two brothers ran at Molock and slashed at his chest, making long and large gashes that spilled blood in a sickly color.

Doc used his weapon and shot crescent shaped holy energy, causing more pain to the demon. Boar backed him up by shooting eyebeams, repeatedly on Molock.

Draco ran up at Molock. A symbol that looked like an ox briefly flashed on his forehead and he landed a powerful punch into the demon's chest. The same thing was happening to Pluto as a rooster symbol briefly showed up on his forehead as several rocks suddenly flew into the General, knocking him back. Pluto merely assumed that it was Raven's doing before firing a concentrated electric ball at him.

(ZK Chromedragozoid: Remember when the Knights beat the Gamemasters? All will be revealed soon.)

"**ENOUGH!**" Molock roared and brought his fists down onto the ground. This time a more powerful quake followed after.

The Crusader, Jason, watched from his vantage point. He frowned. "Looks like its time for me to intervene."

Libra and Fuji watched. That was all they could do and they must have faith in the Knights' power as well as their allies.

* * *

( Steel City, Titans East Tower)

Moon and Venus arrive back at Titans East Tower, it was nearly afternoon as Moon had 'persuaded' Venus to go look for their 'pink friend' since Moon wanted to get even. Both of them were exhausted from the lack of sleep as they entered through the front door and headed for the elevator.

"Ugh, now my hair's ruined!" Moon whined as she picked at the pink goop in her emerald colored hair. No matter how hard she tried, the stuff wouldn't come off.

"I think you might need a haircut," Venus suggested. Moon gasped.

"Erika-san! I can't believe you would suggest even such a thing!"

Venus shook her head, "No need for the melodrama, Megami-san!"

The elevator arrived at the top floor and both female Knights step out and into the living room. There, the rest of Titans East was looking at them. They were none too pleased.

"Where were you two?" Bumblebee asked, "Did you go out into the city without permission?"

Both Venus and Moon panicked before pointing fingers at one another accusingly, shouting in unison, "It was her idea? What? Was not! It was so your idea! Hey, quit it!"

"Can you two please SHUT UP?" Bumblebee shouted. The Knight of the Rabbit and the Knight of Virgo ceased their argument. Bumblebee continued, "Where were you two last night, and don't lie to me. I know when someone lies from when I was training in the HIVE." Bumblebee's eyes narrowed in a sinister way, "And I've learnt ways to get people to talk."

Venus and Moon gulped and began sweating.

"So, who wants to fess up first?" Speedy asked.

Venus took a step back, leaving her fellow Zodiac Knight to face the music.

"_Thank you very much!_" Moon said sarcastically at Venus, in Japanese.

"_It was your idea, Megami-san. Time to face the music_," Venus replied, also in Japanese. Megami sighed and took in a deep breath before saying everything super quick.

"SoIwentoutafteryouallwenttobedsoIcouldgotrackdownourmysteriousPinkAvengerbutVenusfollowedme! Thenwefoundthegirlandchasedafterheraftershehelpedstopajewelrystorefromgettingrobbed! Wechasedafterherandshethrewpinkbubblegumbombsatmeandruinedmyhairbeforeshegotaway!"

No one understood a thing she said because she was saying everything a bit too quickly for them to pick it up.

"Come again?" Aqualad asked.

"Say what?" Speedy asked.

"Did anyone get that?" Bumblebee asked. The twins shrugged.

Venus sighed, stepping forward and repeated everything that Moon said, "She said she went out after we went to sleep to look for our mysterious 'Pink Avenger', but I followed her. Then we found a girl and chased after her after she helped stop a jewellery store from getting robbed. Moon went after her but the girl threw pink bubblegum bombs at her that ruined her hair before getting away."

The rest of Titans East stared at her, amazed.

"You understood all THAT?" Aqualad asked, sounding impressed.

Venus shrugged, "Once you know her as long as I have, you can understand her even when she's in a hurry. It's no prob for me though." Moon smiled. She could always count on her best friend. Suddenly, Megami saw a flash of images. They were going really quick, even for her. All she saw was her little brother, Shadow, fighting some sort of monster. She also saw the Teen Titans in JC fighting a huge army. She groaned, holding her head.

"What's wrong, Megami?" Venus asked worriedly.

"Nothing," Moon shook her head, "I just thought I had a vision or something."

* * *

(Back at JC Titans Tower…)

"TITANS! GO!" Robin commanded as he took out his Bo-staff, swiftly attacking the Deathtron soldiers. The Titans followed him, using their powers to fight off their numerous opponents.

The Deathtron soldiers aimed their guns at Beast Boy, who then transformed into a T-Rex and swatted the troops away like flies. He then morphed back to human form. "They're all yours Ter!" he shouted.

Terra took this as her cue and lifted up some rocks, burying the soldiers underneath. It was okay since the soldiers were really robots. This was discovered when Starfire and Cyborg had earlier blasted the heads off a few and found some wiring and circuitry.

DT had changed into his 'Tank Armor' and was using his wrist blasters and shoulder cannons to blast the soldiers to kingdom come.

Renia watched from the monitor as the Titans fought. They had told her to stay in to keep her safe. She went over to the window and placed her hands onto it, looking down to see the Titans fighting. She did not notice, however, someone sneaking up behind her.

* * *

(Back in Titans East Tower, Steel City)

Bumblebee was no longer angry and then said, "Speaking of Pink Avengers, I think you two should turn around."

The doors behind the two female Knights slowly began to slide apart. Moon and Venus turned around to see who it was and gasped. In front of them was a familiar blonde girl in an equally familiar pink costume. "Hi guys! Miss me?" she greeted them.

To Be Continued…

ZK Chromedragozoid: Woah, three different stories in one. Well, who snuck up behind Renia and who is the mysterious guest in Titans East Tower? Also, will Molock finally go down so that the Knights can concentrate on looking for the Desert Stinger? What of Danny, June, Jake and Jenny? Who is the Titans East's mysterious guest? Stay tune for the next exciting chapter of Shadows of the Past.

Wow, I've reached my half mark. 50 more chapters until this volume is concluded. See you then. Bye now!

Oh, I forgot to mention that the name Smart Brain Corporation is from the series Kamen Rider 555. Just to let you know. Disclaimers are the Teen Titans, Team Possible, Jake, Jenny, Danny and June don't belong to me. Molock and Ekelo belong to Dr. Evans.

Character Bios:

**Zodiac Knight Tiger **

Real Name: Kazuo Hibiki

Zodiac Animal: The Tiger

Zodiac Power: Yin-Yang Opposites

Other powers: Generates and manipulates ice.

Zodiac Beast: Destwilder

Motto: "Gotta split!"

Bio: Tiger is one half of the group, "Liger". As such, his element is Ice. Unlike his partner Lion, Tiger doesn't rush headlong into battle, but instead plans out his strategies calmly. Unfortunately, he plans out so much that he forgets to act. Luckily, Lion is there to balance him out. His real name is Kazuo Hibiki and he plays the drums in the rock band formed with his brother, Tarou, called the 'Wild Ligers'. He is dating Ami of Puffy AmiYumi.

**Zodiac Knight Lion **

Real Name: Tarou Hibiki

Zodiac Sign: Leo

Zodiac Power: Control and communicate with wild animals

Other powers: Generates and manipulates fire.

Zodiac Beast: Savageleon

Bio: Lion is one half of the two man group 'Liger'. As such, his element is fire. Liger is a hothead who goes into battle without a plan whatsoever and relies on instinct all the time. Luckily for him, he has Tiger to balance him out. Strangely, he is the strong silent type. His real name is Tarou Hibiki and with his brother, Kazuo (Tiger) form the rock band 'Wild Liger'. He is dating Yumi of 'Puffy AmiYumi'. He plays the electric guitar.

**Zodiac Knight Doc **

Real Name: Felix Renton

Zodiac Animal: The Horse

Zodiac Power: Healing

Zodiac Beast: Pegasus

Other powers: Armor has bonded with cyber robotics wheelchair and can do anything the chair can do.

Weaknesses: Has grown dependant on armor since wearing it allows him to walk.

Bio: Felix Renton is a wheel chair bound youth who is also Ron's best guy friend. Felix's chair is no average wheel chair as it was designed by his mother, a cyber robotics genius so it has things like a move at high speeds and fly as well as some hidden knick knacks at his disposal. Felix was chosen by Libra to become the Horse Knight and Felix eagerly accepts after realizing he is able to walk in Knight form.

Felix possesses the power of healing. He can heal wounds and diseases with a touch of his hand. Of course, unfortunately, he is unable to heal his own handicap but it doesn't get him down. He is also an avid gamer and loves monster truck rallies as much as Ron. He is also a good basketball player. Has taken a liking to Zita Flores.

**Zodiac Knight Boar **

Real Name: Brick Flagg

Zodiac Animal: The Pig

Zodiac Power: Heat Beam Eyes

Zodiac Beast: Wild Boarder

Other powers: His sheer strength

Weakness: He's not very bright.

Bio: Captain of the football team of Middelton High. Quite a popular student. He used to date Bonnie but now is dating Monique. Not too bright but has a good heart. Became a Knight because his father suffers from chronic heart disease.


	51. PT051: Of Crusaders and Death Knights

Part 51: Of Crusaders and Death Knights

A red and black dome of demonic energy surrounded Molock as it blocked an ectoplasmic blast from Danny, "Take cover!" the halfa yelled out.

But, even when they did, it didn't seem to make any difference as the dome exploded, sending demonic energy out around him in a three mile radius.

Everyone was sent flying along with whatever cover they attempted to get to shield them from the blast. Danny tried going intangible thinking it might work but it didn't as the energy just blew him back even more.

When the light died down and the smoke was gone, everything within three miles was nearly completely obliterated. Buildings that looked as if they were about to collapse with even the faintest touch were testaments to that.

Molock was seen standing in the middle of a small crater as he looked at the damage that he had done before he healed himself of the wounds and the poison. The demon smiled as he saw the fools that had dared to challenge him lying on the ground with their clothing in tatters, their armor broken in several places and several scorch marks were on their skin.

It was a bit annoying that such beings could give him such a difficult time in doing what he needed to do. And to think, all of this was caused by a simple act. But then again, even the smallest of decisions can have the most profound results whether good or bad.

Sometimes a good act can have a bad result, and vice versa. It seemed that Einstein's theory of relativity was always taking effect, like Newton's law of motion: with every action there is an equal but opposite reaction. That was one of the few things that humans were able to understand.

But now was not the time to ponder upon such matters. His adversaries were now too drained of energy to fight him and now he could take his time in killing them.

He decided to start with the one that had given him the most trouble; Ichijyo AKA Zodiac Knight Shadowcobra.

But, as he approached them, Doc threw himself back to his feet and was about to attack… until a man in a brown trench coat appeared out of nowhere and sent Molock flying down the damaged street, crashing into a small apartment complex (that had been abandoned during the fight) and crumbled on top of the demon.

Doc looked on wide eyed at the man as he took in his features. He seemed to be lean in build with visible muscles here and there. He has short dark blue hair and crystal blue eyes. He wore a pitch white t-shirt under a dark brown trench coat with navy blue jeans and black shoes.

He hovered above the ground a few seconds before he landed. He looked over and ran towards Doc. Expecting an attack, Doc got into a fighting stance but the man just stopped and said, "I'm not your enemy."

That didn't convince Doc as he spoke in a suspicious tone, "Who are you?"

"I don't have time to explain right now but my name is Jason," Jason looked at Doc as the Zodiac Knight was breathing hard.

Jason put up his hand as it began to glow a white aura and a small mist shot at Doc. The Knight began to feel his energy returning until he was no longer tired. His armor was restored as well.

"Can you heal your friends Felix?" asked Jason as Doc's eyes widened. How the heck did this guy know who he was?

"I don't have time to explain, just help me heal your friends," Jason insisted.

Doc nodded and decided to trust Jason, for the moment. It took a few minutes but everyone was finally healed and up to full power. The Knights could now use their Zodiac Knight forms. Draco, Shadow and Pluto quickly transformed into their armors (Zodiac Force! Dragon/Snake/Dog!) again and prepared to fight again. Ron changed back into Animorph (Zodiac Force! Monkey) as well. But, for the moment, everyone was wondering what happened to Molock.

"Hey where's the big ugly dude?" said Boar as he asked the others.

"He's not dead if that's what you mean Brick," answered Jason clarifying to them that the demon is not dead.

"How the heck…" Brick never got to finish as Molock burst from the floor in front of the group, completely healed from the previous attack.

"Like I said to Felix, I don't have time to explain," said Jason as Molock looked at the man with a murderous look, yet under all of that anger, there was fear in it as well.

"**So a Crusader has joined the party. I will gain a lot of fame by killing you,**" said Molock in an annoyed yet joyful tone. But mingled with it was fear, but with the demonic tone in his voice you couldn't even tell.

Jason looked at the group as he spoke, "You all did a great and I'm impressed of all of you. But now I think you should step back and let me handle it from here."

Everyone except Raven, Ichijyo and Ekelo were wide eyed at what he said. Was this guy crazy? Did he even have the slightest idea of what he was up against?

"Are you insane?! It's gonna take everything we have to beat this guy!" yelled Leo in a disbelieving tone. He had no idea what this guy was capable of but it was suicide to fight this demon alone.

"Not really. I've faced beings for more powerful than him," said Jason as he began to walk from the group towards Molock.

Everyone except Raven and Ekelo looked to Ichijyo to issue some kind of order but he just smirked.

"Don't worry guys. He can handle Molock," said Ichijyo sounding more confident than before.

Molock just smiled as the Crusader walked forward until Jason stopped only a few feet away from him. The High General of Hell smiled as he charged at Jason with blinding speed. He reared his fist back and swung it at Jason only to have the Crusader disappear from sight. The others gawked at this but before they could even register what had happened Jason appeared behind Molock as he kicked the demon in the face causing him to go flying forward through the air. The others had to jump out of the way as Molock was sent down the street until he caught himself in the air with his demonic power and set himself on the ground. The others blinked at what happened, but then again what did just happened?

"Did you see that?" asked Jinx as she rubbed her eyes trying to figure out what had happened. She looked at the others and to her disappointment all she got were heads shaking.

"I don't know…but it looks like Jason just got the best of Molock out of that little scuffle," said Kim trying to figure out how he did that. Jason had to have used teleportation; there was no way a person could actually move at those speeds.

"**It seems he's faster than I anticipated,**" said Molock in the distance.

Even though the others were far away they could hear him and were all slack jawed.

"There's no way he's that fast!" yelled Animorph/Ron in a skeptical tone.

"On the contrary, Crusaders can very well reach speeds that far excel that of light," said Shadow as his smirk grew wider.

Before Ron or anyone else could reply Molock dashed forward, passing the Titans and the others in blinding fast speed. He was upon the Crusader in mere seconds as he let loose a flurry of punches from which all of them were dodged. It looked as if Molock had grown a thousand arms at the rate he was throwing punches and four Jasons had appeared by the speed he was dodging them. (Imagine Dragonball Z) He didn't even bother to block any as he kept dodging effortlessly all the while without even breaking a sweat. The others were slack jawed at this, with the exception of Ekelo, Raven and Shadow of course. They couldn't believe how easily he was dodging the blows yet at the same time it looked like he wasn't even trying, which he wasn't.

Jason jumped over a clawed swipe as a right hook came towards him. But he just front flipped over the attack and behind Molock. The demon turned around and began his assault yet again with the same result. After a couple of minutes he quickly switched from his hits and swipes to kicks. But they had the same effect as none of them were hitting Jason. The Crusader kept dodging them as if it was an everyday workout. Jason ducked under a kick and quickly took to the air with Molock hot on his heels. The battle continued in the air as the demon began to fly.

The others were surprised that Molock could actually fly, he was probably saving it for later but now he just revealed it. They were surprised that Molock would divert his attention to Jason and suddenly forget about the seventeen superheroes. They could see why now; this guy was fast and speed was probably his main asset in battle. But then again they had no idea as to how powerful this guy really was.

"Man he's fast," said Draco trying to keep up with all of the movement. He was a bit scared that Molock could move at such a speed, which obviously led him to believe that Molock had just been toying with them.

The others just nodded trying to keep up with the lightning fast dodging in the air.

"So how powerful is this guy?" asked Boar not taking his eyes off of the fight for a second. If he did he might miss something very good.

"Crusaders are the most powerful beings in the supernatural world next to gods," answered Ekelo without taking his gaze off of the fight.

"So what is a Crusader?" asked Jenny as she was trying her best to keep up like everyone else was. Even with her enhanced vision that could see things traveling at Mach 5 she still had a bit of trouble keeping up. But she out of all of them could get a better view of what was happening.

"They are the angelic forces from Heaven sent down to the mortal realm to destroy demons," answered Raven not taking her gaze off of the fight. This was the first time she would probably be able to see a Crusader in action and she wasn't going to miss it.

"What are you saying that guy up there is an angel? No way!" yelled Kim as the others turned their gaze to Raven with the exception of Ekelo and Shadow.

"Well if there is a Hell then there is a Heaven, and in Heaven there are angels," explained Raven trying to get the subject to be dropped.

They nodded wondering why they had never heard of beings like this on the news. Even June and Jake never knew of the existence of angels. They knew demons were real but they had thought that angels were more of folklore than anything else, but apparently they were wrong.

Jason quickly dodged as he flew down to the ground with Molock still on him. He reached the ground as he flew backwards with the demon giving chase. Molock quickly caught up with him as he tried to grab the Crusader. But he just disappeared from out of sight before reappearing standing on top of Molock's bald head.

The scene was somewhat comical as the group of teenagers started to snicker.

Molock quickly raised his hands to grab the nuisance, but he disappeared from sight yet again this time in front of the High General of Hell, slightly crouched with his fist closed and his arm reared back. He slugged Molock in the stomach causing the demon general's eyes to go wide with pain. His hands quickly left from above his head as he grabbed his stomach and went to his knees in pain.

Everyone, except for Ekelo, Shadow and Raven, couldn't believe what they were seeing. How could they?

Since the beginning of the battle Molock was like a living nightmare. Every time they got an advantage in the fight, Molock would somehow turn it into his favor with his sheer demonic power. Even in numbers they weren't able to beat him especially after their new allies came into the scene. They couldn't get a win on this guy and every single time they tried to pull it off they would always get beaten down and the tables would get turned around back to his favor.

Yet here this guy came, Jason, out of literally nowhere and started winning the fight that had nearly cost them their lives on several occasions. Now he just delivered one hit and here Molock was on his knees clutching his stomach in pain from a single blow.

It was insane! Here they were not able to beat this guy, yet here Jason was making sport out of Molock. Beings like this only existed in fairy tales and legends, not in real life.

But apparently they were real, as real as the fight they were seeing.

Jason walked around Molock as he headed for the group of amazed and speechless teenagers. Molock spun around as the pain subsided and lunged at the angelic warrior, fingers bent like claws with the intention of ripping off his wings. But the Crusader just spun around with his palm open and blasted Molock at point blank range in the face with holy energy taking off his head. The headless body of Molock fell to the ground lifelessly as the others finally realized that he was dead. But, before they could cheer or rejoice, Molock's headless body slowly stood up as the stump of where the head once was began to grow back. A new head came out as it looked like the attack had never happened.

"That is sick and wrong!" yelled Ron trying to hold in his lunch as he was about to lose it.

"Molock, here are your choices: leave now or be sent back to Hell. There is no third choice here and you should be glad that I'm even giving you a choice in the matter, so take your chance and leave," said Jason in a serious and cold tone.

Molock growled but he knew better. He wasn't going to be stupid and pick the second choice; he knew when he was beaten so now he had to take his leave. All he would have to do was to wait for Ekelo to leave the city and then he would capture the half demon.

But before he could voice his decision, Jason was sent flying to the side by a fist. He soared through the air as he collided and went through several buildings causing them all to crumble.

Everyone's eyes widened at what just happened. There standing before them was a man who looked to be at the very same age as Jason. He has shoulder length pure white hair with streaks of red and yellow at the tip. He was wearing a silver, black and red armored chest plat along with matching armored gauntlets and armored boots. Sprouting from his back was a pair of angel wings, but instead of being pure white these are obsidian black. His complexion was an albino white and his pair of eyes was a bright yellow with red slits for the pupils. e hovered slightly above the ground before turning his attention to Molock, "I'll keep the Crusader busy. You take care of your business here demon." The man spoke with an ethereal voice that sounded otherworldly.

Molock snarled as he spoke back, "**I don't take orders from you Death Knight!**"

Fear gripped Raven, Ekelo, and Shadow's bodies as they heard the name. A Death Knight was far more menacing than a demon of Hell. They were the sworn enemies of the Crusaders. Once angels but were seduced by Lucifer by promises of greater power. They were commanded by Antonio, Lord of the Death Knights, the most feared and powerful being in Hell and was only outranked in power by Lucifer and his son Prince Damien. Antonio was one of the three Lords of Hell and Damien was another along with the last remaining one, Terrorsan, the King of Demons.

Terrorsan was the very first demon to be created by Lucifer and was given the title King of Demons. He was the strongest and most powerful demon in Hell. Even his own subjects feared his power and Molock would not even dare to question his standing and rule. And being the first demon he commanded all demons.

Antonio was the first to follow Lucifer and was by far the oldest of the Death Knights. When the name was created the other Death Knights had given Antonio the title of Lord of the Death Knights, because he was always the strongest and being the most powerful he commanded all Death Knights.

Damien was created from the very blood and essence of Lucifer's power and because of it Damien came forward. The young Prince of Hell commanded his own creations called Sin Demons. These creatures caused the very corruption and greed throughout the universe making everything slowly turn evil. But the Sin Demons were only able to come into the mortal realm by sacrificing a thousand people at once in a special ritual. But because of the complexities of said ritual it has only been done once.

However, if one was to set foot on the mortal realm, they would bring untold and unmanageable destruction. The Crusaders were the only ones capable of stopping such beings, as they were the only ones that could stop an Omega class demon as well as a Death Knight.

"No, but you do take orders from Terrorsan. Lord Antonio and King Terrorsan have agreed that you would need some help in the matter," said the Death Knight as he glared at Molock with such intensity he would have been vaporized had the general and the Death Knight not been on the same side.

"**I don't need or want your help,**" said Molock as he glared back at the Death Knight that had opposed him.

"True, you may not want my help AND you may not need it either. But you WILL get it regardless of what you think. And if you don't like the idea, I'll just lop off your head, send you back to Hell and take care of both Jason and these insects." The Death Knight was about to do what he needed done, but before he could he had to do something first, "Oh and one more thing. Lord Antonio told me to deliver a massage to you. He says not to kill Ichijyo because he could be an asset to Hell's army."

"**Why doesn't he want me to kill him?!**" snarled Molock in an absurd tone, he was going to render the Vampangel in two for the amount of pain he caused him.

"Use your brain idiot! The Vampangel has been fighting the darkness within him his whole life! Where do you think he'll go once he dies?! He'll join the Crusaders once that happens and they'll be truly invincible!"

"**You mean like they have been for the last hundred thousand years!**"

"Watch your tongue demon. I just might be tempted to tear it out for you."

"**Go ahead! I can always grow a new one.**"

The group was completely confused at this moment. Why were the two dark beings arguing when they were on the same side?

Molock turned to the group as he spoke to the Death Knight, "**Keep the Crusader off of my ass until I'm finished.**"

He just nodded before turning to the group and said, "If you manage to actually kill Molock, I'll be the one you are to contend with afterwards."

Everyone simply paled at the thought of having to face off against someone like that. If they kill this guy and Jason didn't kill this Death Knight then they would be in deep shit.

The Death Knight hovered in the air for a moment until he shot off towards the Crusader with every intention on keeping him busy and possibly when the chance arrived, kill him.

Molock turned towards the group before speaking, "**Now then. Play time is now over!**" Molock's body began to grow slightly as the muscles began to expand, "**You have all faced me in my true form. But now you shall witness my true power!**" The muscles kept expanding on his body everywhere as his demonic aura appeared, "**I am no longer going to tolerate any of you! Because of my pride you nearly took my life several times! But now you shall have no more chances of getting an advantage over me!**"

The aura flared until it dropped back down and disappeared, revealing Molock's body as it bulged with muscles.

"So you got more muscles, big deal," said Ron obviously not impressed nor intimidated by the size of the demon. He had learnt that muscles did not make the man, or in this case, demon.

Molock just smiled sinisterly as he slammed his fist into the ground causing a fissure of energy to travel towards the Teen Titans, Team Liger, Team Possible, Team Mystic and Ekelo. They scattered trying to get away from the fissure of energy. But it didn't do any good because as soon as it reached them it exploded sending everyone flying in different directions.

Shadow was lying on his back as an incredible amount of pain surged forth into his body. His eyes were blurred slightly as he tried to get his vision back. As soon as he was able to see he got up only to have Molock slam the back of his skull into the concrete with a sadistic smile on his face.

"**Gregor** **said I couldn't kill you, but he said nothing about causing you pain and boy, will I cause you pain,**" said Molock in a calm and joyful demonic tone that sounded terrifying beyond belief.

* * *

Several miles from the battle field, a small group was gathered around the unconscious body of Jason. The angelic warrior's eyes slightly opened his vision blurry at first but it quickly subsided greeting him with the faces of several worried Japanese men and women.

"Ugh, what hit me?" asked Jason as he got up with the help of some of the bystanders.

"You okay?" asked a Japanese man in a business suit with shoulder length black hair.

"Yeah I'm alright," replied Jason as he adjusted his trench coat making sure it wasn't ripped, after all the last thing he needed was for his wings to be seen by someone.

After the assessment was made Jason's eyes widened as he realized that he was several miles from Molock.

He was about to rise into the air and shoot forth to kill Molock until a blast of unholy angelic energy shot forward and hit one of the people standing around Jason. The result was an explosion that sent everyone, except Jason, flying through the air and others who witnessed it to panic as they ran so they could get as far from these two as possible.

"Gregor, I thought it was you," said Jason as his eyes narrowed, the death of a few humans not affecting him in the least.

"I see you remember me. Good, that will make killing you all the more sweeter," said Gregor as he flew at Jason with blinding speed that the human eye would register it as teleportation.

He delivered a punch to the Crusader, but with the same blinding speed Jason dodged, went around Gregor and launched a blast of holy energy at his back causing him to fly forward.

If the Titans' battle was bad, just imagine what would happen if Jason failed to kill this Death Knight.

To Be Continued…

ZK Chromedragozoid: The Crusader, Jason and the Death Knight, Gregor are both property of Dr. Evans.

Woah, what a battle, Will they be able to beat Molock and Gregor?

Team Rosters:

Teen Titans: Draco, Shadowcobra, Pluto, Jinx, Raven and Blackfire.

Team Possible: Kim, Ron (Animorph), Felix (Doc), Brick (Boar)

Team Liger: Lion and Tiger

Team Mystic: Jenny, Jake, June and Danny


	52. PT052: Oblivion

Part 52: Oblivion

Smoke was rising up from Shadow's body as he healed himself as fast as Molock was pounding him into the ground. His anguished screams rang through the air as Molock continued to torture him.

"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" Raven screamed as she sent a blast of dark energy at the General. She was helped by Danny and Ekelo who also used their energy attacks. Molock was knocked back a few feet, but not far enough. Danny took the initiative and turned intangible before going underground.

Molock advanced on Shadow once again as the heroes looked at him fearfully. With a large fanged smirk, he swung up his fist and proceeded to swing it back down. Danny's hand grabbed onto Shadow and then the Snake Knight too turned intangible before being pulled into the ground with the halfa. Molock's fist merely met the ground and caused a large crater to form. Enraged, he let out a roar.

"Is he okay?" Raven asked as Danny came back supporting Shadow on his shoulders. The Snake Knight shook his head as the smoke rose up from his body, healing himself again.

"I'm fine, luv," Shadow told her.

"That's good, Ichijyo," Danny sighed in relief. They all heard a roar and saw Molock charging for them. The Knights, with an exception of Shadowcobra, activated their Final Vent cards.

Draco: "DRAGON COMBUSTION KICK!"

Pluto: "IMMORTAL'S DEADLY DRILL!"

Tiger: " CRYSTAL BREAK!" (Tiger's monster, a humanoid tiger, restrained the target as Tiger rushes forward with his claws glowing with ice energy. The target gets stabbed with the claw, freezes over, before shattering into a million pieces)

Lion: "BURNING CLAW!" (Lion's monster, a humanoid lion, restrains the target as Lion rushed forward with his claws glowing with fire energy. The target gets stabbed with the claws and spontaneously combusts)

Boar: "OPTICAL APOCALYPSE!" (Boar's monster, an armored humanoid pig, stands in front of its master. Boar focuses his eyebeams into the monster's back, which holds a red orb that absorbs the energy. A cannon pops out of the monster's chest and fires a concentrated energy beam blast)

Doc: "PEGASUS HALO!" (Doc jumps on his monster, a winged horse and flies around the target. A ring of energy forms and then cuts the target in half as it shrinks)

Animorph: "HEAVEN'S DROP!" (Animorph's monster, Hanumonkey, restrains the target as he throws his staff into the air and it grows to the size of a Redwood tree before gravity brings it down on the target)

The attacks slowed Molock down but did very little damage. The Knights were knocked away as Molock plowed right through them like a bullet train, piping mad, as well as enraged.

June activated her Te Xuan Ze armor by pressing the crystal on her wrist band. The purple and silver suit covered her whole body, leaving her face bare. "My turn!" June ran at Molock and the two threw out their fists. "EAT FIST!" The fists slammed into each other. Magical and demonic energy was released as June was sent flying into the air. She let out a scream but was caught in the arms of a red and yellow dragon.

"What's up pretty lady?" Jake winked. Even in battle he flirted. June blushed at being called pretty. She had never blushed around anyone but Roger. "Let's heat things up!" Jake took in a deep breath and let out a hot torrent of flames at Molock. Molock dodged and jumped up, hitting Jake upside the head. The force of the punch knocked the American Dragon out and he changed back into his human form. June grabbed onto Jake and with her agility, used Molock as a boost to jump her way to safety with her precious cargo.

Blackfire flew up and slammed into Molock headfirst. With the element of surprise as her weapon, she unleashed her starbolts and eyebeams at the same time, blowing a hole right through him. Molock laughed as he sent out a blast from his three eyes that sent Blackfire careening through the air before she slammed on top of Pluto.

"Time to give this guy a taste of bad luck," Jinx's eyes glowed as she targeted a nearby building. The top half of it crashed down on Molock. Jinx smirked confidently, but her smirk then turned to a slack jawed expression as Molock flew out of the rubble.

Jenny had just activated every single projectile weapon in her arsenal. She squinted her eyes, aiming straight for Molock, "Say hello to my little friends," the teenage robot murmured before letting loose with ALL of her ammo. Missiles, lasers, the works were fired on the demonic General. Molock was hit; his visage disappeared in a cloud of smoke. XJ9 continued with her relentless assault with every intention of blowing the demon apart, but at that moment Jenny's joints then let out steam as she had used a lot of power in the last assault and was overheating. She looked up and checked for any life signs and let out a gasp as Molock (smoking all over) appeared as the smoke blew away; completely unscathed. He then cracked his knuckles and then flew at Jenny, crushing the robot under his weight. He was about to dismantle her when he heard a dragonic roar.

"LEAVE HER ALONE!" Draco roared as he reared his fist back, his headpiece shining with the symbol of the Ox as he smashed the demon away from Jenny. Molock was sent flying by the force of the punch, straight at Blackfire.

Blackfire wound up her fist and then threw it point blank into Molock's chest with a starbolt, blowing another hole through him. Draco saw the chance.

"Yaminekoryu?" the dragon Knight called. The demonic spirit took over and grinned, "Payback time." Draco's faceplate opened up as Draco opened up his mouth, breathing out dark red hellfire at Molock. Blackfire flew out of the way so she wouldn't get caught by the blast. Molock roared and peered down at the hole in his stomach, it began to seal up.

"FIRE IN THE HOLE!" Pluto yelled. He remembered the Zodiac Power he had won from Dagger back in the Gamemasters' World and began to telekinetically lift rocks and fuse them together to form a spike. He set a charge on the spike and sent it flying, the spike getting stuck in Molock's chest, which was about to fill up. Molock blanched.

"**Shoot**."

Molock blew up like the 4th of July as explosions came out in an nearly endless stream kicking up green smoke.

Ekelo then asked Pluto, "What was in that bomb?"

Pluto replied with a grin, "My own secret formula. I used up a lot of unstable plutonium in that one."

"Is that why the smoke is green?" Shadowcobra asked.

Molock stepped out of the cloud, glowing green from the radiation. As he took a step forward, Shadow grinned.

"SET UP BINDING PENTAGRAM!" the snake Knight hollered. The arcane symbol glowed under Molock and froze him in place. Molock roared as he slammed his fists into the barrier, but his hands burned. "Don't bother, Molock," Shadow hissed, "I laced the pentagram with my blood, providing the angelic power needed for the spell. I should thank you; pounding me mercilessly into the ground provided the perfect cover for me to set up the trap."

"**You cannot hold me for long, halfbreed**…"

"And I don't intend to," Shadow drew a card and slid it into his scepter, "Final Vent." Stingdiver, Genosnaker and Metalceros fused together to form Genocide. The combined form of the beast immediately formed a dark swirling vortex in its stomach that begun to suck in everything that wasn't bolted to the ground. Molock stared in horror. "That hole goes nowhere, but to oblivion." Shadow then commanded, "EVERYONE! GIVE HIM EVERYTHING YOU GOT!"

Pluto let loose a lightning attack, Draco fired a large fireball, Jinx fired a wave of hexes, Blackfire hurled the biggest Starbolt she could make, Raven shot out her dark magic, June fired a pink beam of magical energy (this comes from the armor. Will be explained soon), Jake changed back into dragon mode (Dragon Up!) after he became conscious and breathed fired, Danny used his Ghostly Wail, Jenny fired a laser beam, Shadow fired a Shadow energy beam, Tiger shot out his cold energy, Lion shot out his heat energy, Boar used his eyebeams, Doc used his energy shurikens, Animorph used the Mystical Monkey Power and Kim fired her cannon. Last but not least was Ekelo who fired his own shadow energy beam in tandem with the others.

All the attacks hit and pushed Molock right into the portal. He fought back but the vortex continued to suck him in. Soon, only his head was left due to his stubbornness.

Not for long.

"DARKHOLE CRASH!" Shadow screamed as he delivered a drill kick into Molock's face, pushing him straight into the black hole. Genocide let out a roar as the vortex closed in, sending Molock straight into oblivion.

(Meanwhile…)

At the base at Mt. Fuji, many tourists were buying souvenirs. Two people, a young American girl at the age of sixteen with long blond hair that stopped at the middle of her back along with a Japanese school uniform and a young Japanese boy with short black hair and in a Japanese school uniform, were amongst them.

The young man was trying on masks being sold at a stand. He picked one up that looked rather frightening and perfect for Halloween in America.

He put it on and said, "Hey Ashley, check it out. I'm the Spirit of Darkness here to finish the job!"

He let out a laugh only to get a punch in the face that nearly broke his nose and denting the plastic mask, "Hey you gotta pay for that!"

Ashley turned and glared at the salesman causing him to flinch, "You can do it later of course."

She turned her attention to the young man and said, "That is not funny Mikoshi! My family was killed because of that demon!"

Mikoshi got up rubbing his nose before saying, "Jesus Ashley, it was just a joke! Besides, your parents were killed in a car crash not by some demon."

"I know what I saw Mikoshi. Forget about what my therapist says! I'm not going to be brainwashed in thinking my family died as a result of a car crash!"

Mikoshi decided to drop the subject as it would only infuriate his friend even more. He caught something coming from the trees out of the corner of his right eye, "Did you see that?"

"If you're trying to piss me off again then…"

"No, I'm serious I thought I saw something."

As Mikoshi walked forward a beam of red energy shot past his head narrowly missing by a few inches. He would have noticed had the beam not been traveling at the speed of light. After the beam shot forward it struck a souvenir stand causing it to explode and making others that were nearby get flown through the air as a result of the shockwave. They all ran screaming and yelling until Jason got thrown into a stand causing it to collapse. The stand itself crumbled into a small pile causing anyone who noticed to gather around to find out what happened.

The pile erupted causing debris to go flying in every which direction in the air. Jason landed on the ground causing the tourists to start clapping thinking this to be some kind of show.

"Get out of here now!" yelled Jason as he turned to the mortals who still remained and clapped further.

"They don't seem to be listening to you Jason," said Gregor as he stepped from behind a tree into full sight. The result of such a being appearing caused everyone who had a camera to start taking pictures, "It seems they need some motivation." A ball of energy formed in his hand as he threw it towards two tourists. It sailed through the air until it struck the two causing an explosion which resulted in several people getting killed by the blast. The other tourists saw this and began to panic as they ran for their cars and trucks and sped off away from the battle scene.

Gregor just smiled until Jason flew at him at impossible speed and was upon him in a second. He delivered a right hook to the face causing Gregor to stagger slightly to the side. The Death Knight used the momentum to deliver a spinning kick to Jason's face which caused him to go flying into the forest that surrounds Mt. Fuji, breaking through the base of a couple of trees.

Not wasting any time whatsoever Gregor flew at Jason with every attempt to kill him if the chance arrived. Jason caught himself in the air with his energy and had to lean back as Gregor (was upon him the second he stopped himself) to dodge a right hook that was aimed at his face.

Jason put his foot up in a high kick, which caught Gregor in the chin and snapped his head up. Gregor, used the momentum to do a backwards flip kick making Jason fly up into the air breaking a couple of branches on his way up to the sky. Gregor landed but didn't stay grounded for long as he shot up into the air after Jason.

Jason was traveling up at the speed of Mach 1, until the angelic warrior opened his eyes slightly. He stopped himself with his divine powers but didn't have the chance to right himself as Gregor came in and kneed Jason in the base of his spine with such force it would cause anybody to scream in pain.

But Jason wasn't just anybody, he was a Crusader, and because of it he bit back his yell of pain as Gregor hovered there until he backed away a few feet. Jason righted himself in the air as he looked at the Death Knight for a moment until he flew at him at speeds that the human eye could not track.

They began to trade blow for blow as they either dodged or blocked with some of them hitting home. Each blow connected with either its intended target or was blocked, making the sound of a thunderclap. Such force and strength in blows had not been seen on this planet for such a long time.

Gregor dodged to the side as a right hook missed his face and caught a punch with his left hand aimed at his abdomen. He threw the hit away as he tried to knee Jason in the stomach only to have the blow blocked as Jason interlaced his fingers intercepting the hit.

Giving Gregor an entry, the Death Knight raised both his hands up, bringing his fists together and making them descend towards the Crusader. But Jason just brought up his blocking form from the attempting hit at his stomach up above his head as he blocked the overhead hit.

While in the position Gregor's yellow eyes glowed a faint yellow until a beam of yellow energy shot out at Jason's face causing the Crusader to break off clutching his eyes in pain as they burned. The Death Knight used the distraction to deliver a hard jab at his stomach and blast him in the chest making him go flying backwards.

Gregor didn't let up as he flew forward and was above Jason in seconds with both fists raised and interlaced like before. He brought them down on the Crusader's head; the result was Jason plummeting to Mt. Fuji, crashing into the volcano, going through the mountainous area and into the lava.

"That should keep him out of my hair for the moment," said Gregor with a smile on his face but his eyes still vigilant. He knew that something like a little lava couldn't kill a Crusader, it never did. It would just keep him out of his hair for a few moments.

_'It looks like Molock was just sucked into a black hole. Oh well…his days were numbered anyway when he decided to go into that fight,'_ thought Gregor as he sensed Molock's energy disappear.

It didn't matter; Gregor had problems of his own to deal with. Said problem just arose as Jason came out of Mt. Fuji in a small explosion. His body surrounded in a bright blue aura as he was up in Gregor's face in one tenth of a second. The Death Knight's eyes widened as he felt the surge of power coming from Jason.

The Crusader's body was turned to the side as his arm was drawn back to deliver a devastating blow to Gregor. The punch hit Gregor in the face with such force that he was flung to the forest ground and upon impact an explosion came kicking up a mushroom cloud of dust blowing all of the trees out of the ground for fifteen miles wide. As the blue aura slightly died down, Jason was seen in the air over looking the damage he had done. His trench coat was slightly singed in a few places and his shirt held a few burnt holes, but his skin, his hair and the rest of his body remained completely unharmed.

When the dust cleared it showed Gregor standing the middle of a crater that spread out three hundred feet in diameter and was fifteen feet deep. The Death Knight was completely unharmed and the only thing that could be seen if he had ever received the blow was a very small almost unnoticeable crack in his armor. It slowly began to fade away as the crack no longer existed.

Jason stood in the air as he brought his palm up in front of him with the fingers stretched out towards Gregor. He motioned for the Death Knight to come and continue the fight, and he didn't disappoint as he shot up at the Crusader with a yellow aura of unholy energy surrounding his body.

To Be Continued…

Okay…this battle has dragged on long enough and now its over. Anyway, Dr. Evans created Molock, the Crusader and the Death Knight. None of the characters are mine except for Draco, Pluto and Shadow.


	53. PT053: The Artiste

Part 53: The Artiste

Moon was the first to say something once she recognized and registered who the guest was, "YOU!" the green haired rabbit Zodiac Knight glared at the pink clad hero.

The 'Pink Avenger' smiled, "I see you remember me."

"It's pretty hard to forget someone who MESSED UP MY HAIR!" Megami emphasized her retort by pulling at her now gooped up hair.

The pink clad girl merely waved off nonchalantly, "For the record, you were chasing me. That was the only way to get you off my back."

Before Megami could say anything else, Erika (Venus) stepped up in front of her friend and shook hands with the new girl, "I'm Venus, by the way."

"The Pink Painter," she finally introduced herself as she shook hands with Venus.

"The Pink Painter?" Venus asked. "Nice codename."

"It gets straight to the point," the Pink Painter had a utility belt with her paintbrush, palette and paint tubes. She turned to look at the seething Rabbit Knight, "And you must be Moon…"

"What was your first clue, 'Pinky'?" Moon glared. Moon's uniform had a large crescent moon on the chest to distinguish her identity. Moon zoomed towards Bumblebee. "Okay, Bee, how did she get here and why is she here?"

"She came through the front door," The Titans East leader replied. "She said she wants to join the team."

"WHAT?" Moon exclaimed.

"C'mon Moon," Speedy spoke up. "I think she'd be a great addition." The twin speedsters also nodded in agreement.

Moon got in Speedy's face as their masked eyes met, "You like any girl with a curvy figure, you know that?"

Speedy looked behind Moon and saw the Pink Painter talking to Venus. He grinned, with hearts in his eyes. Moon slapped herself in the face. She continued, "Look, you guys! You can't be serious in wanting her on the team! Look at how she's dressed!"

"And what's wrong with the way I'm dressed?" The Pink Painter placed her hands to her hips.

"Please!" Moon snorted, "I've seen s with more modesty!"

The Pink Painter glared at Moon, "Oh really…? What about Wonder Woman?"

Moon faltered. Damn! The girl got her there! "That's beside the point!" Moon continued, "Sides, you look like the spokes girl for all stuff pink!"

"Whatever the point is," Aqualad began, "I think it should be a team decision, don't you agree?"

Moon sighed. Even if she hated to admit it, Aqualad was right, "Yeah Aqualad…" Moon then added, "But she has to prove herself first."

The Pink Painter smirked, "Bring it on! I can take on anything you dish at me!"

"So, you think you're up for the challenge?" Moon taunted, nearly forgetting about her soiled hair.

"You bet I am!" The Pink Painter spoke up confidently. Moon smirked. She walked up towards the Pink Painter and looked her in the eyes.

"First, can you fix my hair?" Moon asked as she pointed to her hair. The rest sweatdropped, except for the Pink Painter.

"No problem," the Pink Painter took something out of her belt and put it in Moon's hand. It looked like a small shampoo bottle. "That'll dissolve the pink goop in your hair."

Moon grinned, "Thanks!" before she disappeared in a flash.

"She's fast," the Pink Painter commented.

"Too bad her brain isn't," Bumblebee shook her head, "Is there something else we can call you, when we're not on the field? 'The Pink Painter' is kind of a mouthful."

"Sure," the pink clad heroine smiled, "Call me Liz."

* * *

Later…

The Titans East were at the sparring section of the training wing. There was also a gym nearby for weightlifting and exercise. Right now, Liz was getting herself acquainted with rest of the team, trading stories and what not.

"So the guy just in his pants?" Bee laughed.

"And only because I brought a painting of a pink monster to life," Liz giggled.

"That's wild!" Venus added.

"Not when you said you kicked a guy in the groin, from behind."

"I know," Venus smiled, "I don't think that guy will ever have any children after that."

"No kidding!" Bee chortled.

"So…Speedy?" Liz spoke up. The archer turned to meet the painter's eyes, "You've met Robin before?"

"We all have," he clarified, pointing to the rest of the team.

"I meant before the days of Titans East," she added.

Speedy shrugged, "Yeah…" he continued, "It was during the whole 'Master of Games' fiasco."

"Oh, what happened?" Liz asked.

Speedy smirked, "Well, in the first round, I kicked Aqualad's butt."

"You did not!" Aqualad shouted after he heard what Speedy said.

"Aw come on, Garth!" Speedy replied, "You were a popsicle when I beat you."

"You cheated!" Aqualad whined.

"Whatever you say," Speedy muttered under his breath, "Girly-Boy."

Aqualad glared, "I heard that! And I'm not a 'girly-boy', I'm just pretty!"

Speedy and Liz only laughed.

Moon then zipped into the room. She was clad in her normal uniform, minus the scarf. Mas and Menos were following her from behind obediently. She cracked her knuckles and flexed her fingers.

"I have a bad feeling about all this," Venus whispered into Bumblebee's ear. The black and yellow clad insectoid heroine nodded.

"Okay…Pinky! Here's how it's gonna work," Moon pointed to herself and then to Liz, "You and me, one on one."

"A fight?" The Pink Painter raised an eyebrow under her pink mask, "Can't you be anymore creative," she said sarcastically.

"Okay, look," Megami sighed, "I wanted to have a race, but someone (eyes Venus) said that it wouldn't be fair. So…best 2 out of 3. How does that sound?"

The Pink Painter shrugged, "Whatever, anything to get me on this team."

Moon smiled, "Good, and thanks for that dissolver shampoo stuff. My hair smells like strawberries now."

"You're welcome," the Pink Painter smiled back. She followed Moon into the training ring while the others sat at the stands. Mas and Menos held up signs that said, 'We (Heart) Moon!' and 'Moon is Great!'

"Quite the fanclub you got," Liz commented.

"It's nice to have fellow speedsters who look up to you," Megami replied, "They kinda remind me of my baby brother when he was little."

"You have a brother?" Liz asked as she took out her palette and paintbrush.

"Two actually," Moon clarified, "One of them is with the ans while the other one is back home in England."

"I see…"

Megami went into a battle stance, facing Liz, "Ready?"

"Don't go too fast for me now," Liz winked.

"Oh…no promises Pinky."

Venus banged the gong and shouted, "BEGIN!" the rest of Titans East had to cover their ears from the sound of the gong.

Speedy had his hands on his ears, "I knew we shouldn't have gotten a gong!"

Aqualad shouted back, he too had his hands on his ears, "WHAT?"

Speedy shouted back, "WHAT?"

Bumblebee rolled her eyes, "Idiots."

The two boys stared at her and shouted, "WHAT?"

Venus decided not to comment. Speedy and Aqualad were nice, but not the sharpest tools in the shed.

Moon ran towards Liz with a fist out but the artiste dodged to the side. The Knight of Speed quickly turned to land a backhand strike, but it was blocked by Liz, who was using her now larger palette like a shield. Her paintbrush glowed and a pink rapier blade came out from it. Moon gazed at it.

"Hey, no weapons!" Venus shouted in protest, but then Moon produced a Moonbeam sword, "Ugh, never mind!"

Both energy blades clashed, Green met pink and sparks flew.

"What a light show!" Speedy was munching on some popcorn.

"Where did you get that?" Aqualad asked. The archer pointed to Mas and Menow who were surrounded by tons of snack food. "Oh. Care to pass me those Bon-Bons? Bumblebee sighed in defeat but got herself a Cadbury Crunchie from the pile.

Both swordswomen fought with extreme ferocity, contrary to their gentle exteriors. Liz was precise but put too much thought in her strikes while Moon was fast but sloppy. Most of Megami's strikes met with Liz's makeshift shield. Soon, both their swords were stuck in a deadlock.

"You fight well," Moon complimented.

"You too," Liz returned the compliment, "I always thought that speedsters were wusses, but you can really fight."

Moon grinned, "None of the other speedsters have anything on me. Watch!" Moon suddenly disappeared.

"Huh?" Liz looked around before she was struck in the back. Moon reappeared again.

"A little trick I picked up from my little brother Shadow. He does the invisibility trick too," Moon grinned.

"Nice!" Liz did a sweep kick that caught Moon off guard, "Though I think you should've stayed out of sight."

Moon flipped back to her feet, growling. "Oh no you didn't!" she zoomed towards Liz, but the artist was prepared. Suddenly, a pink wall materialized in front of her.

CRASH!

"Should've seen that coming," Bumblebee flinched.

"Like I said, Megami-san is smart, but her brain's not as fast as her feet…or mouth," Venus winced.

Moon fell flat on her back after she had rammed into the pink brick wall, leaving an imprint. She groaned, "Ow…"

The wall disappeared and Liz was admiring at her gloved nails, "Score one for the Pink Painter."

Moon righted herself and growled. She was a half angle, half human, hybrid, but her fangs were starting to show. Maybe she had a bit of vampirism in her. Nah! Couldn't be. Ichijyo was the only Vampangel in the family, right? Right?

Moon dusted off her costume and reached into her pocket. She then hesitated, thinking, _It wouldn't be fair…_she took out her empty hand and sighed, "Okay, you won that round," she admitted, cracking her neck, "But round two isn't gonna be easy."

"Okay then," The Pink Painter agreed, "Try not to trip yourself."

Suddenly the alarm blared.

"TITANS! GO!" Bumblebee commanded as she and the rest, minus Moon and Liz ran out of the training room.

"Better see what's up," Moon zoomed ahead but stopped at the door. She turned to Liz, "You coming?"

The Pink Painter grinned, "Gladly."

* * *

"Must you always be so noisy?" commented a blue skinned boy with black hair and dressed in a Goth cloths (Black coat, shirt, pants, gloves, shoes.). He was known as Zombie.

"Where's the fun in that?" commented his partner, a bulky and muscular skinhead in army clothes (Green shirt with an atomic symbol, camouflage pants, combat boots, cut-off gloves and dog tags). He had dynamite strapped over his chest, grenades in his belt and who-knows-what in the camouflage backpack of his. There were tattoos all over his arms and in his mouth was a cigar. He was armed with a bazooka. His name was Blow-Up. Why? "FIRE IN THE HOLE!" he shouted as he blew the front doors of the bank open with his bazooka. "Free dough!"

"Yes, nice," The Goth stated, "Let's just get the money and be on our merry way."

"My sentiments exactly," Moon zipped up in front of the two criminals, arms crossed. The rest of Titans East was behind them, plus Liz.

"THE TITANS EAST!" Blow-Up exclaimed as he reached for a stick of dynamite. Zombie rolled his eyes and stopped his companion. He turned to the Titans.

"Must we always fight?' Zombie asked. His voice showed no emotion and he had a poker face on that didn't show emotions either.

Speedy aimed his arrow at the two, "Just drop the bazooka and nobody gets hurt."

Aqualad added, "You decide: the easy way or the hard way?"

Blow-Up aimed his bazooka at the two male Titans, "The hard way sound NICE!" he fired a shell, which both Aqualad and Speedy dodged.

"TITANS! GO!" Bumblebee shouted. The speedsters went to disarm Blow-Up while the rest went up against Zombie.

"Well if you must," Zombie sighed as a pair of combat knives popped out of his sleeves. He caught them in his hands and met eyes with the Titans. He gazed at Venus, Bumblebee and Liz, "I do so loathe to fight women. I am, after all, a gentleman."

"Yeah right!" Bumblebee aimed her stingers on Zombie, "Now give yourselves up and no one gets hurt."

Zombie began to chuckle. Liz then stared, "Is he mental?"

"Wanna know why we call him Zombie?" Venus asked.

"Why?" Liz asked. Suddenly, Zombie's arms detached from their sockets, "YIKES!"

"That's why!" Venus dodged one of the arms, still clutching the knife. She blasted it to pieces with her plasma blast..

"Careful!" Speedy blocked a stab with his bow, "These knives are poisonous!" he hit it away and took out an arrow, aiming it at the arm, before letting an arrow fly. The arrow hit and the arm froze solid in ice.

"The best way is to take out Zombie!" Aqualad ran at the undead assassin but several skeletal hands broke out of the ground and grabbed his legs, "Hey! Leggo!"

Liz blanched, "That is so gross!"

"It is, isn't it?" Zombie agreed as he jumped up and aimed a kick to Liz's head. The Pink Painter gasped and used her paintbrush to paint a cage around Zombie, trapping him inside.

"Shit," he muttered in his prison.

"That was easy," Venus commented.

"Too easy," Speedy agreed, dropping both possessed arms to the ground as they were frozen solid.

"Can anyone get these things off me?" Aqualad shouted. Venus shot a plasma blast at the skeletal hands, blasting them to pieces, "Thank you."

Zombie frowned. Liz looked at him and he stared back, "What?"

"You really a zombie?" she asked.

"What's it to you?" he crossed his legs.

Meanwhile, the speedsters were quickly disposing Blow-Up of his ammo. He whirled around, meathooks out, trying to grab the twins and Moon. Too bad they were too fast for him. He shouted, "THAT'S IT!" he took out a grenade, pulled out the pin, and dropped it. The Titans gasped as tear gas came out. Blow-Up then ran to his partner and grabbed the cage, as well as the arms, or what was left of them.

"That was smart, even for you," Zombie commented.

"Hey, I'm not all good looks you know," Blow-Up grinned.

The Titans were coughing in the fog of tear gas.

"Can't (cough) see!" Liz coughed. The fog was then blown away by Mas, Menos and Moon who used their arms like fans, creating wind tunnels. The Titans breathed easy.

"We almost had em!" Bumblebee punched her open palm.

"They get away often?" Liz asked.

"Oh yeah," Venus nodded.

"Don't know what their motive is, but we'll get them…eventually," Speedy spoke up.

* * *

(Zombie and Blow-Up's hideout)

Zombie had gotten out of the cage with some help from Blow-Up (he used dynamite). Zombie was literally pulling his pieces back together. Now satisfied, he turned to his friend.

"That could've been worse," the undead assassin commented.

"Well, with what we're being paid, what else would you expect?" Blow-Up commented bitterly.

"What are we being paid, and how much?" Zombie asked, "For this job I mean."

Blow-Up read from a list, "Draw out the Titans East. Peh! Chang doesn't pay us enough." He turned to Zombie, "Did you do it?"

Zombie took out a vial with a cork stopper in it, "They've been exposed; the tear gas was good cover, just wait and see."

"Soon we'll be rolling in dough!" Blow-Up laughed. Zombie shook his head as he headed to his room/lab to rest.

"And Titans East will be no more…"

To Be Continued…

Character bios (Villains)

ZOMBIE

Real Name?

Age?

DOB?

DOD?

Physical description: Dead bluish skin and bloody red eyes. Wears Goth clothes.

Bio: Zombie is literally a walking dead body. He is an undead corpse that walks the earth and loves it. Fortunately, he still has his brains and intelligence. He is immune to pain and is able to regenerate from any wound. He also has the uncanny ability to detach his body parts. Expert in stealth and poison. He is an assassin. He studies Necromancy as a plus.

Quote: "I'm as silent as the dead, coz I am!"

BLOW-UP

Real Name?

Age: 25

Physical description: Beefy, bulky and muscular. A skinhead. Wears army clothes and has various tattoos over his body.

Bio: Blow up got his name for 2 reasons. 1: He has an anger management story. 2: He is always carrying around explosives. He is a professional hitman but has never had a job in a long time since he has the tendency to blow up his employers when angered for no reason. He lacks discreetness. He is as discreet as a bull in a china shop. He also speaks his mind…a little too loudly.

Quote: "I don't know the meaning of discreet. Really, I don't!"

New heroine:

The Pink Painter

Real Name: Liz Brasco

Age: 18

Gender: Female

Hair: Blonde with pink highlights and tied up in pigtails with pink ribbons.

Eyes: Purple

Powers: Able to bring her paintings to life with her magic paintbrush. She also rides on a giant flying palette.

Costume Description: Pink leotard with a matching bustier, elbow length gloves and thigh high boots. Also wears a pink mask to conceal her identity. Boots hold holsters for her paintbrush, paints and gear. Other variations have been made as well.

Motto: "The world is my canvas"

Bio: The Pink Painter first made her presence known by capturing criminals and leaving her calling card: The color pink. She leaves something pink at the scene of the crime to identify herself. At first glance, it's obvious what her favorite color is. She is a bubbly and cheerful person that just loves to help people. She got her powers from a magic paintbrush that allows her to paint in the air and bring her creations to life. (Created by my sister, Lizbrasco)

Disclaimer: Titans East don't belong to me, just Moon and Venus. Zombie and Blow-Up are mine.


	54. PT054: Guilt

Part 54: Guilt

Along the Japanese sea separating Japan and China were two blurs of two different beings that could be clearly seen. Jason had lead Gregor to the Japanese sea where no other individuals would suffer because of the magnitude of the fight. Jason flew through the air as he was dodging yellow blasts of unholy energy from Gregor. The Death Knight was chasing Jason as he was throwing energy blasts at the Crusader to try and slow him down. It didn't seem to work and by the time he realized it didn't, Jason suddenly disappeared from sight only to reappear in front of Gregor as the warrior of light delivered a round house kick that was blocked by Gregor's forearm. The result was a thunderclap that caused the sea to erupt. They held their position for a moment until Gregor broke off to get some distance away from the Crusader.

Gregor had a busted lip while the Crusader had a slight cut under his right eye. One would have thought that because of such intense power between the two beings they would at least have far more severe injuries, but then again they could endure far worse. They weren't even breathing hard which was an indication that the two were far more resilient than other beings.

Their auras of power flared up, covering each other; Jason's being a bright blue mixed in with white, while Gregor's was a dark yellow mixed with red. The two beings flew at each other making it seem more like they teleported. They began to trade blows either dodging or blocking while some hit their intended target.

Jason dodged a fist aimed at his head by snapping it to the right. He spun around to Gregor's side and elbowed him in the face. The Death Knight spun for a moment before he used the spin to kick Jason on his side. Jason grabbed the foot as he raised the being over his head and flung him down towards the sea. Gregor, however, used both his feet to capture Jason's wrist and reversed the throw as Jason was the one that was sent to the sea.

A few inches before hitting the water Jason stopped himself. He looked up as Gregor flew at him with his fists outstretched ready to drive Jason into the underwater floor. Gregor crashed into Jason as the two sped downwards to the floor as several schools of fish scattered away as the duo went through them. A few seconds went by as Jason was plowed into the underwater floor kicking up dust as a result of the impact.

Gregor flew out of the dust and impacted into a coral reef breaking it instantly and sending him into the ground. The Death Knight was able to get up but apparently it wasn't for long as Jason swung his fist at the Death Knight causing Gregor to stagger back slightly. The fallen angel's vision blurred somewhat as Jason gripped him by the hair and slammed his face into a pointed rock, smashing it instantly and driving into the ground again; kicking up a bit of sand.

Jason lifted his foot as he was going to stomp on Gregor's head until a beam of yellow energy shot from his eyes at Jason, catching the warrior off guard and making him fly through the water a bit before stopping. Gregor got up as his head was turned at a one eighty degree angle. His head turned around the right way before he raised himself through the water until he was eye level with Jason.

The two floated there, several feet from each other, ((It seems you're playing dirty. You would have made a perfect Death Knight you know)) Gregor spoke to Jason telepathically as he kept his mouth shut under the water. They could breathe in any atmosphere, whether in a volcano, space or underwater, it didn't matter. However, their ability to talk was cut off when they were underwater, so they had to use telepathy.

((Just because a person is fighting on the side of good does not mean they can't fight dirty)) Jason replied back as he shot forward in a blur, not losing any speed because of the change in surrounding. Jason struck at Gregor with a high kick that made the Death Knight shoot upwards and out of the water, with the Crusader close behind.

Gregor stopped himself in the air as he spun to the side (while still facing the sky) to dodge a blast of holy energy at his back. Gregor righted himself in the air only to have Jason appear right in front of him with a ball of holy energy in both his hands. Gregor was sent back with the ball of holy energy pushing at his stomach, making him sail straight for Japan again.

* * *

In the city of Hokkaido, Japan, were many people going about their business. A small group gathered around a street performer doing something bizarre. However, the performance was cut off as policemen came onto the scene as they grabbed a hold of the performer, "What the hell are you guys doing!"

"You have to have a permit to do a performance," said one of the men as they began to cart him into the vehicle, but they never got the chance as the top of the building he was performing in front of exploded and debris began to fall. Thousands of people who were on the street began to panic as they all ran. A young boy at the age of three was walking around as he was separated from his parent. Said parent, a Japanese woman in her early thirties, saw her son and tried to get to him. However, the crowd kept pushing her away and she was unable to get to her child. A large piece of concrete began to fall, and was coming down on several people including the child, but they all disappeared in a blur as they were set down in the safety of another place.

The woman who was crying for her son stopped as Jason appeared with the young boy in his arms and said, "I believe this is your son."

The woman took the child into her arms and began to cry as she thought he was lost, "Oh thank you! How can I-" She was cut off suddenly as a ball of yellow energy shot forward and disintegrated the two.

Jason spun around and glared at the creature responsible for committing such an act. It was Gregor as he held up his palm with a smile on his face, "Oh, I'm sorry. Did I just kill someone you saved?" Gregor said it in a sarcastic tone of voice as he felt a bit of joy in killing the woman and her son.

Police cars came rushing onto the scene, as they stopped several policemen came out as they trained their weapons on the two, "Freeze!"

"Okay," said Gregor with a sadistic smile on his face as he gathered a ball of cold energy and flung it at the police. Jason rushed forward and intercepted the ball as it froze him in place, "How predictable." The frozen statue of Jason shattered as the ice melted away from his body. He stood there a bit cold but other than that he was unharmed.

"Screw this, they don't pay me enough for this kind of shit!" yelled one officer as he climbed into the vehicle with the others following suit. They slammed on the accelerator with every bit of power as the cars sped off away from the fight scene.

Jason flew at Gregor as he rammed his fist into his face, making the warrior of Hell fly back towards a parked car. But, before he hit it, he quickly caught himself in the air and fired a ball unholy energy at Jason who was flying at Gregor. The blast hit Jason but he plowed through the explosion as he rammed into Gregor, slamming him into the car causing the vehicle to explode.

Soon after, Jason was flung out of the smoke and into the window of a hotel room. Inside, a couple was lying in bed and was just waking up until Jason crashed through the window, causing the young woman to scream in fright.

Jason got up slowly as he put his hand to the side and caught a pole aimed at his head from the young man. He wrenched the pole out of his grasp and looked at him before he glanced at the young woman, "Sorry to interrupt your business." With that said the Crusader flew out of the building at Gregor who had lifted into the air. Gregor reared back a punch as Jason did the same and when the two fists impacted with each other, they created a shockwave which shattered every window within an eighteen mile radius.

The two began to fight in mid air, trading blow for blow, blocking and dodging; each hit making the sound of a thunderclap when either blocked or not.

Jason was able to pull away as he shot off, away from the city of Hokkaido with Gregor giving chase.

* * *

In Tokyo, Japan, the Titans were looking for survivors, if any at all existed. Everyone was looking around, all except for Ekelo, who just stood away from everyone in deep thought. It was because of him that everyone had almost gotten killed. If it wasn't for him staying in the city instead of going to another location like he usually did, none of this would've happened.

It was one of the reasons why he left Raven. The constant danger and foreboding doom was not something anyone would have wanted in a relationship, and even if she would have been willing to try, he would never allow it.

Whenever he got close to people, they would always get hurt. His adopted father, Cyclops, was evidence of that. When he was first attacked it was at his real home, the place he was raised. His adopted father nearly got killed and if it wasn't for Lance, Cyclops would have had been killed.

"Hey," came a familiar voice as Ekelo looked to see who it was. Raven was looking at him with a concerned expression on her face, "Why aren't you helping?"

"Sorry," said Ekelo in a slight whisper. It would have been almost inaudible to anyone else but Raven could hear it just fine.

"Sorry for what?"

"For all of this," to emphasize his point he motioned all around him at the destruction. This caused Raven to frown slightly; he always blamed himself for the destruction his enemies caused. He always knew he was responsible but he had no right to think like that. He didn't cause the destruction, it was his enemies. It wasn't fault that he was born to bring Hell on earth; it wasn't his fault he was born to do something that no child should ever have to do.

But before Raven could voice out her thoughts a blur blew past them and crashed into a building causing it to collapse. The person was traveling much too fast for Raven to see who it was but she had an idea.

"What happened?" asked Shadow as he ran to the two with the others closely behind.

"I think you should divert your attention towards me," said Gregor as he hovered above the ground a few feet in the air.

The others got ready for the most intense fight they would ever have, but instead of the fight beginning, Gregor observed the area before saying, "I see you all managed to kill Molock; no small feat by any means I might add. Tell me, how did the demon meet his demise?"

"He got sucked into a black hole if you really want to know," said Ron tensing up slightly and not dropping his guard. He had no idea what he was up against and he wasn't going to take any chances.

Gregor shook his head and said, "The black hole trick, I must say he fell for it about two thousand years ago. I didn't think he would get sent through another after only two millenniums; guess he is as stupid as he looks. No matter, as soon as I deal with all of you, I'll get the demon out of his temporary prison for his punishment. One question before you all die though, do you prefer cremation or burial?"

The building that had collapsed on Jason burst out as the Crusader came flying out of the rubble and towards Gregor within one second. He reared his fist back and hit the Death Knight in the face causing him to stagger back slightly, "I believe you still have me to worry about." Gregor sneered.

"I see you have survived."

"Yeah, we Crusaders are a persistent bunch." Jason turned to the assembled heroes behind him, "I suggest that you leave this battle to me. You're all still exhausted from the last battle you had with Molock and I don't think you have enough strength take this…monster down."

"Hey, we can take him," Brick protested but Shadow placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Best to listen to him, Flagg," Shadow advised. Brick snorted.

"He don't look so tough."

"Looks can be quite deceiving Zodiac Knight of the Pig," Shadow narrowed his eyes, "You best remember that." Brick knew Shadow was right, but he still wanted to fight, "Plus, we've used up a lot of our energy to defeat Molock. It is best that we leave the Death Knight t the Crusader."

Gregor smirked, "Quite the smart one, aren't you, Vampangel?"

The others, except for Jason, Raven and Ekelo turned to Shadow with confused looks on their faces. Shadow clarified for them, "That's what I am: half angel, half vampire."

"No way," Ron gasped. Kim looked at Shadow skeptically. She never believed in vampires. However, after all this, she was ready to believe anything. Science and logic were not absolute. But a half vampire, half angel hybrid, was that even possible?"

"So you're not human?" Pluto asked. Shadow shook his head.

"I apologize for keeping this a secret from you and-"

"HAH! I KNEW IT!" Pluto exclaimed, "I knew you weren't human!"

"You knew?" Raven raised an eyebrow. "Or suspected?"

"A bit of both, really," Pluto admitted.

"So?" Danny spoke up, "Doesn't make him any less human," he turned to Shadow, "No offence."

"None taken," Shadow assured him.

"Wow," June gasped, "Wonder what Monroe and Ah-Mah will say to that?" She then asked, "By the way, where's Tazuka?"

Draco replied, sadly, "He died."

June gasped. "I'm sorry." She wanted to ask more, but decided against it after seeing the look on his face.

Jinx frowned sadly at her boyfriend. _Ryuki must really miss this Tazuka, whoever he is. Wonder what happened?_

Draco turned to Yaminekoryu and the demon spirit sighed. Danny's ghost sense went active and he turned to see Yaminekoryu standing next to Draco. Draco caught the look. Draco asked, "You can see him, can't you?" Danny nodded. Draco continued, "Don't worry, he's not controlling me. He's my guardian." Danny seemed skeptical, but nodded.

"As much as I want to listen to this...enlightening discussion, Lord Antonio sends a message to you, Ichijyo Desmond Amakusa Akuma," Gregor had said Shadow's real last name.

"Your real last name is Akuma?" Draco asked, "Doesn't that mean…?"

"I know what it means!" Shadow hissed before turning his attention to Gregor, "What message?"

"He welcomes you into the service of the Death Knights upon your death."

Shadow raised an eyebrow, "Another evil trying to recruit me, huh?" he chuckled, "Save it! My answer is no."

"Pity, you would've made an excellent Knight."

"I already am; a Zodiac Knight."

"Exactly," said a new voice. Everyone looked up to see a shining golden figure floating down towards the ground. Everyone tensed up. The figure then landed and tapped the bottom of his staff onto the ground. His golden and crimson armor shone through the darkness as his cape gave him a majestic appearance. Not everyone knew who he was, but the Zodiac Knights did.

It was none other that Zodiac Knight Libra.

"It's Libra!" Ron exclaimed. Felix and Brick's eyes widened.

"Libra? The Libra?" Pluto gasped.

"The Guardian of the Zodiac Knights," Shadow's eyes widened. Draco looked Libra up and down. There was something…familiar about the golden clad Knight of Libra.

"The one and the same," Libra smiled. "Mind if I join in, Crusader?" Libra asked.

"Why Libra?" Jason asked, "I thought you weren't supposed to interfere."

"When the balance of the world is in jeopardy," Libra gripped his staff, "I'll be there. This Dark Knight must be punished due to his evil. I could no longer stand by and watch him kill innocents. No longer will I stand idly by! I am a Guardian, and I will guard!" Libra had seen Gregor kill the child and his mother. He had felt guilty for letting such an atrocity happen. He didn't care if he was punished for interfering. Deep down, in his heart, he knew something had to be done.

"A god and a Crusader," Gregor smirked, "By defeating the famous Zodia Knight Libra and the Crusader Jason, I may move up in the Death Knights…Lord Antonio will praise me well."

"Why don't you shut up?" Jason said to him. Libra stood next to the Crusader. Gregor looked at the two and produced a black and red sword from unholy energy.

"Very well. No more words. Let's fight."

"Couldn't agree with you more," Libra nodded as Jason produced a white sword of holy energy.

To Be Continued…

**Zodiac Knight Libra **

Zodiac Sign: Libra

Zodiac Power: Maintains the balance of all the Zodiac Knights

Other powers: A full range of psychic and elemental abilities.

Zodiac Beasts: Zhuqiao, Qinglong, Xuanwu, Baihu and Huanglong

Bio: Guardian of the Zodiac Knights. He watches over the fighting, but never intervenes. His identity is a secret and so are his origins. He does seem to have some connection to some of the Zodiac Knights' pasts. He works side by side with Fuji to choose and watch over the Zodiac Knights. Totally despises Yoshido. Libra's true identity is unknown but several hints have pointed out that his true identity is…

Written by Dr. Evans, Edited by ZK Chromedragozoid. Death Knights and Crusaders are property of Dr Evans. All other characters do not belong to me, except for the Zodiac Knights.


	55. PT055: Captured

Part 55: Captured

Several days earlier…

Slade was in a dark cavern, where the cavern was located exactly was yet to be known. The demonic red 'S' on his mask glowed with an eerie crimson light. "_Master…_" Slade called with as much disdain and loathing that he could possibly muster. However, he needed to continue this charade, for now…

2 pair of glowing crimson eyes appeared and glared down menacingly at Slade. This was Trigon, the Interdimensional (self proclaimed) Demon Lord, Slade's _master_, and father to Raven…

"**What have you come to report, my servant?**" Trigon's voice was booming and terrifying, echoing against the wall to give it a more intimidating feel. Slade, however, was undaunted and kneeled down, rather reluctantly.

"I bring dire news, Master. It involves your daughter as well as the…Vampangel," Slade answered Trigon. The four glowing red eyes widened briefly before Slade continued, "It seems that the Vampangel and your daughter have become…lovers."

Trigon's eyes narrowed. He had heard of the Vampangel; the most literal embodiment of darkness and light in the mortal realm as well as the only one of its kind. Trigon then asked, "**Is that all, Slade? Well, you don't have anything fear for the Vampangel cannot harm me.**"

"Master, with all due respect, I feel that the Zodiac Knight-"

Trigon bellowed, "**A** **ZODIAC KNIGHT? NO!**"

Slade raised a figurative eyebrow. It almost sounded Trigon like was scared. Why?

Trigon hated the Zodiac Knights as much as Yoshido. When Yoshido had still been on the side of good, Trigon had rebelled against Terrorsan and proclaimed himself as an all powerful demon lord. Yoshido, at that time, was in charge of making sure that the balance of power would not tip to anyone's favor, so therefore his band of Knights, and himself, battled against Trigon and his minions. The war was long and tiring, with both sides slowly losing their numbers. It was all down to Yoshido as well as a few Zodiac Knights and Trigon in the end. Finally, Yoshido performed a spell that sent Trigon into another dimension, trapping him inside, forever. Ever since then…Trigon had hated the Zodiac Knights as much as he did Yoshido. Hopefully, Slade wouldn't mention that he had Zodiac Knights of his own or that he had attempted to recruit the young Knight known as Shadowcobra, Shadow to his friends. Knowing that Trigon was afraid of the Knights may prove as useful information for the criminal mastermind and madman known as Slade Wilson AKA Deathstroke the Terminator.

Trigon was in deep thought. His daughter's lover was not only the one and only Vampangel, but also a Zodiac Knight, which was not a good combination. The Vampangel was said to possess unbelievable untapped power, rivaling the gods themselves. He would be an asset to any side who got him and a bane to the other. He could not allow the Zodiac Knights to exist, even the Vampangel was a threat. Although, Trigon was proud that his daughter had hooked herself a creature like the Vampangel to be her lover. He would approve, if only the Vampangel wasn't a Zodiac Knight as well. Oh well, those were small details that did not concern him, presently.

"**What is it that you wish of me, Slade?**" Trigon asked.

Slade bowed, "I humbly ask that you return me my flesh and blood body so as I will be able to complete my mission more efficiently."

Trigon's eyes narrowed at his servant. Using Slade's real body as a bargaining chip was the only way Trigon knew that Slade would follow him loyally. However, with the threat of the Knights getting in the way, Trigon could not risk it. If giving Slade back his body would get rid f the threat, then so be it, "**Very well, my servant. You may have your body and keep the powers I have bestowed upon you. However, if you choose to disobey or betray me, I will not hesitate to take all of that back**."

Slade bowed. It was better than nothing, at least. Trigon's eyes flashed and suddenly Slade screamed as his body convulsed with pain as his body pulsated with demonic red energy. As soon at it had begun, it was over. The same demonic brand was still n his mask. Slade reached up to remove it. Would he find flesh or bone? He didn't care; he wanted to see for himself, now. He removed his mask, placing it on the ground and reached up to touch his face. He gasped. There was skin, and hair. He took out a mirror from his utility belt (Why does he have one? Maybe he likes to look at himself) Staring back at him was himself; Slade Wilson, flesh and blood. His beard and moustache were there as well as his slightly spiky hair. He also had an eye-patch over his right eye. Yes! He was himself again. Suddenly, the brand appeared on his forehead before disappearing.

"**Remember Slade…do not fail me…**"

Slade replaced his mask, his single eye narrowed as he kneeled down, "I won't master…"

* * *

Present Day…

Slade was in his study, enjoying a glass of wine. It had been so long since he had a taste of the beverage. After his flesh and blood body had been returned to him, he returned to all the activities that he had done with his family before, most notably having dinner with them. He was grateful that he hadn't done so earlier as he was an undead zombie before. About two weeks ago, Katherine had attempted t cook for them. It didn't turn out all too well as Katherine was an absolutely horrible cook. Her 'fishcake' had been literally a green cake with bits of fish sticking out. Grant had said it looked nasty and was promptly beaten to a pulp by an irate Katherine. Slade and the others did not make a comment, but instead disposed of the cake when Katherine's back was turned. Anyway, after he had gotten back his body, he went to train to get readjusted with his restored form as well as the power that flowed through him. The Titans would no longer stand a chance and Slade could rule the world…if only Trigon wasn't going to destroy it. Slade sighed loudly. The reason he had recruited Katherine was to train her so that she could remain the 'Last Knight Standing' so she would get that wish. Katherine had told him of her last…'employer' and that he had abandoned her due to her 'unorthodox' methods. What was more shocking was that Katherine was in possession of, not one, but three Greek Zodiac Decks: Taurus, Cancer and Aquarius and had given the 3 decks to Slade's children, Grant, Joseph, and Rose…Speaking of Rose, Katherine was quite fond of her…a little too fond. Upon realizing Rose's true sexual orientation, Slade had no choice but to relent. There was not much he could do. He saw this, of course, as an opportunity rather than a problem. Katherine stayed because she loved Rose. Katherine had become like a daughter to Slade, and as his apprentice would take over upon his death and continue for him. Katherine was ambitious and willing to do anything to achieve her goals. Robin and Terra lacked all that. They were both afraid to go all the way, Katherine wasn't.

When he had heard that Katherine had gotten hurt out of fighting the Titans, Slade immediately rushed home. He wanted to punish her for going against his orders, which were not to antagonize the Titans. However, when he had heard from the Cat Knight that she had done it for him, he let it slide. She had told him that the Titans were an obstacle, a dangerous obstacle, that needed to be taken out of the game. Slade had heard that Katherine was absolutely vicious, using both physical and psychological means to attack the Titans, especially Terra, Slade's former apprentice. Katherine knew that Terra had thrown Slade into the volcano and that got her mad. Katherine was acting as if Slade was her…her father.

Slade had found out that Katherine had grown up without a father since she was three years old and that her twin brother, Leonard, also the Zodiac Knight known as Draco, was given special treatment as he was the future heir of the Hasuma clan. Katherine was the eldest twin, so why wasn't she the heir? Because she was a girl? Because she was weak? Katherine hated her brother for that. Always have, always will. That, and that alone, was what drew Katherine to Slade and vice versa; the drive to prove themselves. Slade only hoped that Katherine did not go about destroying his precious androids whenever she trained.

Slade had seen a picture of Katherine's mother. Emiko Narukawa Hasuma was a beautiful raven haired woman with storm blue eyes. She was also a talented artist and fashion designer, the head of her own fashion empire. Katherine had invited Slade to come along to the fashion show but he had told her that he had other things to attend to. Actually he was a living skeleton and no amount of disguising could hide that fact.

Anyway, Slade had sent Rose to go and 'retrieve' a certain blonde girl with a fiery temper, and he hadn't meant Terra. The girl, Renia, was quite a mystery. What was she hiding and what were the true extent of her powers? Alchemy, was it? She had said that that was the ability she had demonstrated while fixing Cyborg's T-Car. If Slade had her on his side…the possibilities were endless. However, he first had to speak to her and warp her mind to the point that she would follow him. The attack of the Deathtrons proved to be the perfect diversion. While the Titans were busy fighting them, the Tower would be left defenseless and Rose could enter without being detected. Katherine had told him that one of the Codes of the Zodiac Knights was that a Knight was not allowed to enter another Knight's domain, namely the Tower. Rose couldn't enter through a mirror portal because the entry points had been sealed since it had been considered the Knights' (Draco, Pluto and Shadowcobra) 'domain'. Oh well, Rose could just sneak in and capture Renia. Katherine had been eager, too eager, to wanting to go on the mission. Kat was extremely injured and was in no condition to go on any mission…for the next month. She could heal fast…but not THAT fast. Katherine had attempted to sneak out, but Grant and Joey had caught her and strapped her down to her bed. There would be no trouble from Katherine, none at all.

Boy, how wrong he was…

* * *

"I'll rip your head off your shoulders!" Kat threatened. She was tied to her bed by several strong leather straps

"With what?" Grant laughed, "Face it, Katherine, without those powers, you can't do a thing to me!" he turned to head towards the door

"Oh really?" Kat grinned, her eyes let out an eerie glow. "You're forgetting one thing, Grant."

"And what's that?" Grant turned and his eyes widened. A sculpture of a big cat suddenly came to life.

"I HAVE THE ZODIAC POWER OF THE RAT!" with a snarl, she sent the marble cat to chase after ARMS of Team Tartarus.

* * *

Slade looked at his open door and saw Grant being chased by a large statue of a cat. Well, that just proved that Katherine was still active. Oh well, back to business. Wonder how Rose was doing?

* * *

"GET THE HELL AWAY FROM ME!" Renia yelled as she swung her fists at her attacker. Rose was in her uniform, which now included a half black, half orange mask that was tied to her head like a bandanna. Right now, she was dodging Renia's attempts to crystallize her. Most of the furniture had turned to crystal and Rose was now hiding behind the crystallized sofa.

"This is so not my day…" Rose groaned as she peaked out from behind the crystal sofa to see Renia heaving. She was getting tired, perfect.

"Alright, come out RIGHT NOW!" Renia called out. She had used up a lot of energy and was exhausted. She looked like she was ready to drop. All she needed now was a little 'encouragement'.

Rose reached into her utility belt and pulled out a small dart and a blowpipe. She loaded the dart in and stared at Renia, who looked EXTREMELY tired. She placed the pipe to her lips and blew, letting the dart fly and stabbing at Renia's neck.

"Ouch!" Renia shouted as she put her hand to her neck. She then pulled out the dart and stared at it, "Oh…crud…" her eyes slowly drooped to a close as she then fainted on the ground.

"Yes!" Rose cheered as she went to pick Renia up and take her to Slade. No witnesses as she had taken out the security cams. She was about to walk out when she stood up and looked at the window.

There was Terra, staring right at her, on the other side.

"Oh damn…" Rose backed away.

"Hey! Who are you?" Terra shouted from the other side. Rose did not have the time to answer so she quickly turned and ran towards the elevator. "Stop!" Terra shouted as she smashed through the window, chasing after Rose, on a boulder. "Let Ren go!"

"Of all the Titans!" Rose huffed as she ran, "It had to be the traitor!" Rose turned and stopped, "Better finish her now." Rose dropped Renia and reached behind her back for her machete. "Come on blondie…"

Terra leapt off the boulder and stared Rose down. She was alone as the other Titans were still fighting the Deathtrons. Terra then spoke, "Okay…I don't know who you are and how you got in, but you're going to get out all black and blue…"

"Very original, _traitor,_" Rose said venomously, "Was that what you said to daddy when you hurled him into the lava?"

Terra's eyes widened, "You're…you're…"

"Slade's daughter? Yeah," Rose smirked, brandishing her machete and pointing it to Renia's neck. Terra's eyed Rose with a mix of confusion and anger. "Now, be a good girl and let me leave, or I'll slit the little girl's throat…"

Terra's eyes glowed golden, "Not on my watch!" she hurled the boulder straight at Rose, but Rose dodged and ended up leaping towards Terra.

"Goodnight." A well aimed kick to the base of Terra's neck knocked the geomancer right out. Terra fell to the floor and Rose nudged her with her stomach. She then lifted up her machete, but then stared down at Terra, thinking, "Daddy would want to punish you himself." So, Rose sheathed her machete and picked up Terra, supporting her on her shoulder. Rose was much stronger than she looked as she effortlessly placed Renia on her other shoulder. She adjusted the two captives and held them with her hands. She then headed towards the elevator.

* * *

The Titans were facing incredible odds as the Deathtrons kept coming. Beast Boy then noticed something missing. Terra! Where was Terra? He looked around for his girlfriend and did not notice a soldier behind him ready to run him through. Of course, it never got the chance as it was blown apart by a green starbolt.

"Friend!" Starfire shouted, "You must focus! You nearly lost your head."

"But Terra's gone!" Beast Boy shouted, before turning into a bull and ramming a few robot soldiers through.

DT was in his tank armor and was blasting Deathtrons one by one. There was an odd sense of familiarity as he did so. He fought like he was trained to do so and knew the exact spot to hit. It seemed that his memories were coming back. He used his shoulder cannons to blast a few aerial soldiers. The Deathtrons were beginning to send fliers. Well, it looked like it was time to fight fire with fire. DT crossed his bracelets together and activated his bat armor, flying up to take the fliers down. As he was doing so, his sensors detected something off. He looked at the Tower and saw a gaping hold in the window, a large gaping hole made by something just as large, a boulder maybe. Speaking of boulders, where was Terra? Shouldn't she be here. DT saw the fliers coming and prepared to slice them apart, when a blue sonic energy beams picked them off one by one, making holes in them. DT looked down and saw Cyborg doing some target practice while shouting out, "Booyah!" every time he made a hit. DT shook his head and chuckled before using his claws and lasers to defeat the soldiers, the ones on the ground and in the air.

It was a long battle, but the Titans had won. Mechanical parts were sprawled all over the surface of the island. Robin kneeled down and picked up a badge with a demonic purple face on it. Starfire floated down. She told him, "We have won!" she picked him up in a hug, laughing victoriously. Robin found it contagious, thus finding himself laughing as well. Beast Boy then ran over to them, panting. He exclaimed, "Dudes! Star! Robin! Terra's gone!"

Robin asked, "What do you mean?"

"Robin," DT floated down, "I can no longer detect neither Terra's nor Renia's life signals and there is a large hole in the window at the Tower's top floor."

Robin's eyes widened, "Titans! Move!" he ordered as he and the rest of the team went back into the Tower to investigate.

* * *

The Titans were shellshocked (Beast Boy turned into a tortoise in shock) as their eyes fell upon the state of the living room. Nearly all the furniture was either covered by, or turned into crystal. Some spots on the ceiling, floor, and walls were also crystal.

"Renia's been busy," Cyborg looked around, "Wonder what happened?"

"I think I know," Robin picked up a dart with a familiar 'S' symbol (and we're not talking about Superman). "Slade…"

"Slade was here?" Starfire gasped.

"But that's impossible," Cyborg paused, "The Tower security system would've detected an intruder."

"It should've," DT's eyes narrowed under his goggles, "But didn't." His eyes scanned the whole Tower, "Someone disabled the security system and snuck in."

"And took Terra and Renia!" Beast Boy shouted. "We gotta go save them!"

"Right!" Robin agreed and commanded, "Titans! Search the city for any and all of Slade's old hideouts!"

The Titans nodded. DT had a serious face on, "Consider it a priority one alert!"

"TITANS! GO!"

* * *

Rose threw the unconscious bodies of Terra and Renia into the cell before locking the door. Rose smiled and went up the stairs.

Terra began to stir awake and found herself in a dungeon together with Renia, who was still knocked out. Terra touched Renia's neck and found a power inhibitor collar on the alchemist. Terra reached up to her own neck. She also had on a power inhibitor collar. Not good…just great…what else could go wrong?

"Greetings Terra…It's been a long time…"

Spoke too soon. Terra glared daggers at the armored man in the black and orange mask.

"Slade…"

To Be Continued…

ZK Chromedragozoid: Looks like Terra is now in Slade's clutches. Will the Titans find her and Renia before it's too late? Why does want Slade Renia? Does she really have that much power in her?


	56. PT056: Closure

Part 56: Closure

Jason and Libra rose up into the air, following after the Death Knight. While the Crusader and Zodiac Guardian did so, Jason spoke, "I thought you weren't supposed to meddle, Libra."

"I'm not," Libra replied curtly, "However, I shall worry about that later." He drew a card and slid it into his staff, "Sword Vent: Zhuqiao Blades." The staff disappeared and was now replaced by a pair of crimson and gold sabers. Jason turned his attention towards Gregor who was growing impatient.

"Aren't we going to fight or are we going to start this party?" the Death Knight asked.

Libra narrowed his eyes and glared at this Death Knight-this monster. What he had done was unforgivable and, despite Fuji's warnings, Libra was not going to just stand idly by and watch as innocent people were being killed needlessly. He looked down at Draco. If only he knew…

Jason was the first as he struck with his white blade, which Gregor promptly parried away before placing a well aimed kick in the Crusader's chest. Libra then went on the initiative and struck down with his Zhuqiao Blades. Of course, the Death Knight was anything but inexperienced and just spun out of the way before slashing at the Guardian's back, slashing the cape he had in half. Libra looked down at the remnants of his cape before tearing it off. It was a hindrance and such a hindrance was unneeded. He then flew at Gregor and executed a reverse spinning heel kick into the Death Knight's chin, knocking him towards Jason who then did a flip kick that sent Gregor flying higher into the air. The two celestials then went after the Death Knight. Gregor evaporated his sword and so did Jason and Libra as they traded blows. Punches, kicks, and blocks were being exchanged between the three fighters. Libra swung down both fist onto Gregor's back only for the Death Knight to grab his arms and then headbutt him in the chin while at the same time swinging his legs up and hitting Jason in the face. Libra dislodged Gregor's hand before doing shooting his foot out into the Death Knight's stomach and following up with a right hook into the Death Knights head in unison with a kick to the Death Knights left side, hard. Gregor's body bent in an odd angle before Gregor groaned. Libra smirked and then grabbed Gregor's face and pulled it down while he lifted his knee up, smashing the Death Knight's face in.

Jake winched, "Oh, he's not pretty no more!"

Draco was watching Libra's technique, thinking _That__ looks just like the move that Ojiichan taught me…_ Libra's fighting style was quite similar to that of the Hasuma School. Could Libra have been…a student?

Gregor staggered while floating. Jason had been strong, but this Libra's powers were near god-like. Gregor then allowed his anger tot take command and sent out two blasts of unholy energy at his opponents. Jason countedred with his own beam while Libra drew a card and summoned his staff, sliding the card in. "Guard Vent: Xuanwu Shield." A black shield shaped like a turtle's shell with golden edges appeared in front of him and blocked Gregor's blast and redirected it back at the Death Knight. Gregor's eyes widened as he was blasted by his own energy, plus Jason's. The blasts blew up on contact with him.

"Amazing," June gasped. She had never seen such power before in her life. Molock was powerful and Jason was whacking him around like a rag doll before Gregor showed up and did the same to the Crusader. Now, Libra was fighting Gregor easily, like he was nothing. Just how much power did Libra have anyway and could he get any stronger?

Jenny's eyes were glued onto the combatants. The existence of angels, demons and gods was illogical and 'a load of bull'. But, seeing this, proved the scientists wrong. The creatures did exist and they were powerful, even more so than she was and she had fought the Cluster on several occasions and won, barely. Libra, as it seemed, could give the Cluster a run for their money. He looked and felt strong enough to defeat the Cluster's Queen, Vexus, in one blow without breaking a sweat, or in Jenny's case breaking a gasket. This was so unreal.

Ron, Brick and Felix watched as Libra fought. They had expected Libra to be strong, but seeing him in action proved that he was far more powerful than they had expected. They saw Libra punch Gregor repeatedly before head butting the guy. That must've hurt as Libra wore a helmet. Anyway, Libra had been the one to choose them and seeing him now, fighting, it only intensified the respect they had for him.

Gregor grew tired. Why couldn't he beat Libra? It seemed that the golden and scarlet clad Zodiac Knight of Libra was far more superior than he had expected. Heck, if he had helped the others against Molock, the Demon General would no longer have anything left of him to tale back to Hell. Lord Antonio could have given him ample warning that he may have to face the FIRST Zodiac Knight. However, Antonio had no feel to do so as the 'Guardian' was meant to watch and not interfere directly. Well, it looked like he was interfering quite nicely.

Danny Phantom had thought that the Fright Knight, Vlad Plasmius, Pariah Dark and his…future self were powerful, but the fight with Molock had proven that there were beings far more powerful, and dangerous, depending on which side they were on (Good or Evil?). Anyway, the teenage halfa watched as two celestials and a Knight of Hell were fighting it out with as much intensity as they could possibly muster. Blows were traded and grunts of pain were heard, but they did not relent. _Sam and Tucker would never believe THIS!_

Lion and Tiger watched with expressionless faces (their faceplates are open). Tiger's face was that of a young boy with blue eyes with bits of blonde hair showing under the helmet. His brother, Lion, had black hair and slightly reddish eyes. Shadow knew that both of them were half Oni…Anyway, Tiger had been chosen by Fuji and Lion by Yoshido. Lion, thankfully, did not go over to the side of the Black Knights, but his attire, his armor…was quite questionable…

Shadow glanced at both Pluto and Draco. While Shadow himself had been chosen by Yoshido, Pluto had been chosen by Fuji. Draco, however, was not chosen by either nor was he chosen by Libra. When he had heard how Draco became a Zodiac Knight the first time, he nearly laughed his head off. It was an accident. Draco had become a Knight by accident! He had found the deck in a box of his father's old belongings in the attic and then-Stop right there! It was in his FATHER'S belongings. Why was it in his father's belongings? One of the possibilities was that Draco's father had been the original person chosen to wield the Zodiac Power of the Dragon. The second and most unbelievable possibility was that…he looked at Libra…Could it be? Impossible! But the signs were there! For now, the Knight of Invisibility would keep his mouth shut about the matter. No reason to make the Dragon Knight panic and ask questions. Draco had said that his father had (supposedly) died when he was three. Draco may not show it, but deep down, he missed having a father. The three of them all shared that common bond; they had lost someone precious to them. Shadow's eyes then turned to gaze at Raven. Her eyes were locked onto the battle above and so was Blackfire. I guess it was pretty surprising to see beings of such power fighting and bearing witness to it. Well, once you start seeing weird stuff, you can never stop seeing them. It was one of the curses of being a teenage superhero. The weird and often deadly adventures and all of the stuff that went on during a regular daily basis. Shadow had thought his days were weird enough once becoming a Knight, but becoming a Titan had made them even more crazier. Regardless, life would never be the same to anyone who decided to walk on the wild side. Shadow did worry. In the Tournament, where all the Knights would fight, Libra would be the strongest of all the competitors. So who would win against him? Would any of the other Knights even stand a chance against him? Was "The Wish" already decided to be Libra's to use as he will? Shadow could only wait and see of what the future may bring.

Ekelo pure white eyes were locked on the trio of powerful beings; two good and one evil. While the Death Knight and Crusader were powerful, the Guardian of the Zodiac Knights dwarfed their powers entirely. Fists met fists and Gregor was the one sent flying while the Guardian remained the victor. It was a good thing that Libra was on their side…or was he? Why couldn't he had helped while they were fighting Molock? What had he been possibly doing? Watching? Ekelo was naturally distrusting of celestials as they only stood by and did nothing. This celestial, however, seemed to be fighting not for himself but for their safety. Why? What did he stand to gain? It just didn't make sense in Ekelo's mind. Why did this Zodiac Knight Libra decide to meddle now in the affairs of mortals…okay, mortals wouldn't b the exact description of everyone watching as a few of them weren't exactly human or not human at all…Ekelo just continued to watch.

Libra was now armed with one of the Zhuqiao Blades in his right hand while the Xuanwu Shield was strapped tightly to his left arm. An aura of immense power radiated from him as he faced Gregor. Jason was by the Guardian's side, ready to finish the Death Knight off. Gregor's armor had slash marks, scratches and cracks in several places where Jason and Libra had struck together. In his hand was his unholy blade that he would use to annihilate the Crusader. The only obstacle he had now was the gold and crimson clad Guardian who was fighting like a veteran. Then again, what else could be expected of the FIRST Zodiac Knight?

"I shall not be beaten…" Gregor growled as his yellow and red eyes let out an eerie glow as a powerful unholy aura surrounded him. He flew towards Jason and Libra and swung out his blade. Libra used his shield to block before thrusting his sword out, aimed for Gregor's heart. Gregor dodged it by moving to the side but met with Jason's knee to the side of his neck. Ouch. Libra then complimented the Crusader.

"Nice move."

"Thank you, Zodiac Knight Libra," Jason had not called him by his real name. Did Libra even have a real name? Well, Libra's true identity was a well kept secret and only several members of The Order knew it. Jason only knew the identities of the Knights on Earth and no more. Gregor turned and threw his fist out, punching Jason in the stomach before grabbing his hair and throwing him into Libra. Libra de-materialized his weapons and caught the Crusader before any harm could be done. Gregor than began to fly off, obviously to escape the Guardian's and Crusader's wrath.

"I never really thought he would run away," said Libra wondering why he did. Beings like that didn't seem to just fly off when the chips were down, they kept fighting until he/she either died or became the victor.

"Call it a tactical retreat, just be glad we weren't facing Antonio," said Jason as he looked at Libra wondering if he would get punished for interfering.

He knew of how Fuji operated and he also knew that there was the possibility that he wouldn't get into trouble. Libra did interfere but not in Zodiac business; it might be a certain loophole in the rules but it would probably be acceptable to Fuji, then again it might not.

"Well, I'll see you another time perhaps," said Libra as he flew off into the distance. Where he was going Jason knew, but right now he had to worry about The Order.

The others watched as he lowered himself to the ground until they rushed over to see if he was alright.

"Yo, ya alright dude?" asked Jake a little concerned for his well being.

"Just a few scrapes and bruises; nothing a little healing won't help," answered Jason as he looked around expecting someone to arrive soon.

"What are you looking for?" asked June noticing he that was surveying his surroundings for something or someone in particular.

"Just the cleanup crew that's all."

"Don't worry, they should be here pretty soon," said Pluto and wondered how many SB operatives Professor Murata would send to clean this mess up.

"If you're talking about the Smart Brain operatives, I wasn't referring to them," said Jason with a raised eyebrow.

Pluto looked at him with a clueless expression on his face. He didn't know what he had meant by that but he would find out soon as two solid black four door Sedans with Blackwall tires drove into the scene. They looked like two government or FBI vehicles. However, there was one huge difference; instead of the Bald Eagle on the car door side there was a sword that was sheathed behind a shield with the tip of the blade sticking outwards, in the center of the shield a was circle with an eye in the middle and in place of the pupil was a pentagram.

The doors to the two vehicles opened allowing several people came out. Some were human while others were… different.

They didn't look human nor alien, which led to only the conclusion that they were demons. While some might consider this confusing others knew that in this day and age not all demons were evil. They sometimes try and live relatively normal lives while others worked for The Order.

The people that came out of the vehicles stood there as a Chinese in his late fifties, along with a matching three piece suit walked up to the group while rubbing his temples, "Man Jason, you guys certainly know how to make our job difficult."

"Um, who are you?" asked Jinx wondering who this guy was addressing Jason like that.

He looked at Jinx for moment before answering, "My name Kiska Noam, leader of the Watcher group here in Japan and the demonic cleanup crew that keeps these kinds of things under wraps."

Kiska looked at June and Jake before saying, "And to think you guys are supposed to protect the magical world as well as the human world."

"Hey bud, I do pretty well at my job without you Order cronies criticizing how I do my work," said June in irritated tone. She never did like the members of The Order; they always seemed to criticize what she did to do her job. But then again there were some who didn't really do that and instead admired her for keeping her duties and trying to juggle her normal life.

Kiska just shrugged before looking at Jake and said, "You did a good job Jacob, it looks like I'll have to inform the council that we could stop taking out the much bigger demonic threats in America and let you handle some."

"Huh?" was Jake's answer. He knew about The Order but he didn't know what he meant by that.

"Oh come now, you didn't think that The Order Council Members would let a rookie take the responsibilities of battling the bigger threats of the supernatural world did you?"

"Say what!" yelled Jake in more of a surprised tone than an angry one.

The others were confused at this. What was 'The Order' about and how did they know about this attack? Kiska saw their confused looks and said, "I know you guys have some questions about the organization I work for, but if you want questions you can ask these two." As he said it he motioned towards June and Jake before saying, "Or perhaps your three friend over there," he was referring to Shadow, Raven and Ekelo.

After he said it all he turned to the others behind him to bark out orders, "Alright everyone, we have a lot of work to do so lets get started! Dogma!" said Kiska as a green skinned red haired male demon stepped forward, "Call the Watchers HQ here in Japan and tell them to issue out a level five cover-up."

The green skinned demon nodded as he reached into his suit pocket and took out a cell phone with the same emblem on it like the one that was on the car.

"Shuan, I need you to call the Iraq Watchers and tell them that we found a use for those al-Qa'ida terrorists," said Kiska to a yellow skinned brown haired female demon, she nodded in understanding before she pulled out the same cell phone as Dogma.

"Alright people we have to move fast, the vipers will be here any minute!" he said referring to the press. He never did like them but then again they were a source of information that could be manipulated in making sure that demon attacks were not suspected. It was kind of hard for them to keep making up stories until the press came into view, even now when they could easily come up with better cover up stories for the press to filter through. Of course they had no idea that they worked for The Order in a certain sense.

"I think people have a right to know about all of this," said Draco as he looked at the Watcher wondering how he could do such a thing. Apparently, to Draco, Kiska was cold hearted. People were killed and lives were lost because of a demon and a fallen angel. People deserved to know the truth about how the ones they cared about died.

Kiska just glared at Draco as he rubbed his temples and said, "You really are as stupid as you look Ryuki. Do have any idea how it would affect the world if they knew that their really is a Heaven and a Hell, and that the entire mortal realm is their battleground? It would be like the Salem Witch Trials all over again, but instead of burning innocent people accused of being witches at the stake, it would be demons or rather humans with physical disorders, and it won't even stop there either. People would kill a new born baby because of a physical abnormality as well as the mother who gave birth to the child, the father and the entire family. The KKK would have a field day with this, but instead of calling themselves the Ku Klux Klan, they would be called something else. Soon people would start accusing minorities for being demons either because of different skin color or religion. The results would be similar if people knew about the mirror monsters and the Mirror Dimension. So tell me dragon boy, do you still think it's a good idea for people to know about demons?"

Draco just kept his mouth shut as he just glared at Kiska. He hated to admit it, but the Watcher was right. There were certain things that people were not supposed to know about and the existence of the supernatural was one of them.

"So, how do you get funding for your organization?" asked Kim in a curious tone.

"We have funding from several government factions, like Global Justice and the G.U.I.L.D."

"Guild?"

"**G**lorified **U**nited **I**nternational **L**ordification **D**istrict. It's a secret government organization that monitors terrorist and metahuman activity."

"Sir, what about them?" came a human male as he was referring to the group of superheroes.

"Leave them be. They're going to need the info to defeat some of their future enemies," said Kiska waving the Watcher off. He turned around and said, "Alright everyone, it's already five in the morning so lets get this done so I can get some rest!"

* * *

At the manor, a half hour later, the others had gone to bed and they deserved it too. From what they had been through everyone deserved to sleep in. Of course Shadow was not in his room. Instead he was filing some paperwork that needed to be filled out because of the damage that was done; he was going to leave out the words demon and angel of course. 

Raven closed her door and was about to plop right into her bed until the door opened, she expected to see Shadow but instead Ekelo was there.

"I believe you needed to talk to me?" said Ekelo as he was a bit uncomfortable with doing something like this.

She nodded, a bit surprised about him entering her room and staying for awhile. Apparently Draco, too tired to argue and not wanting to fight, allowed Ekelo to have a room in the mansion.

He wasn't going to stay long, just long enough to help Raven get some closure, "Yeah, I did. I need to move on Ekelo, though I don't think you know how difficult it will be. I do need to know one thing before I start, a couple of years ago you said you didn't love me. Did you tell me the truth or did you just say that so I would be safe?"

Ekelo sighed knowing that that question would come up sooner or later. He was very good at hiding his emotions, even from empaths. It was a very good trait that he inherited from his mother; he just wished he knew who she was. He could lie too her again and tell her that it was the truth, but deep down, he knew would have to face her and tell her the truth sooner or later; so he decided to get it done right here and now.

"It was the latter. I did care about you and in some ways I still do. But what I did was to keep you safe. I won't say that I didn't regret what I did because I do. I should have at least written a note telling you of my leave but I thought against it."

"So why wait until now to tell me?" she asked a bit irritated that he lied to her about what he felt. She wasn't angry because she understood why he did what he did, but why was he telling her all of this now?

"Well Shadow said you needed some closure and that's the reason why I stayed. I also know that if I have to confess my feelings for you it had better be now," he said trying not to sound a bit jealous of Shadow. If anything he was more envious of the Snake Knight and what he was able to give Raven. It was something that he could have never given her in a relationship.

She nodded in understanding but wasn't sure on how to move on, she had no experience in ending relationships. Heck she only had one relationship and she didn't intend for that one to end, but she had an idea…

"Ekelo, I need you to do me a favor."

"What is it?" asked Ekelo a little nervous about the whole situation. He didn't know what she was going to ask but he felt a little nervous about it anyway.

"But first you have to promise me that whatever happens after this that you won't get mad."

Ekelo nodded at Raven's request saying, "Promise."

She nodded before saying, "I need you to move your mask out of the way."

He was a bit confused about why she wanted him to remove his mask, but did so anyways. He was about to ask why but never got the chance as Raven leaned in planted her lips on his. To say he was surprised would be an understatement; he was completely flabbergasted at what was happening. He never expected this but even though he was caught off guard he returned her kiss. He wasn't sure why, but at the moment he didn't really care. Soon the kiss was over before it could become much more intimate; which was what Raven didn't want to happen, "Whoa, wasn't expecting that."

Raven smiled at him slightly. He was a good kisser and it was almost hard to imagine that that was his first kiss. But that single kiss was what told her everything she needed to know, "Ekelo," Ekelo was still a bit dazed by what Raven had done but was still coherent enough to hear what she had to say. "I'm sorry."

Ekelo wasn't crushed at all to hear those words. He knew what they meant and knew what she meant by saying them.

"I hope you're alright with this," said Raven feeling a little guilty about telling him the truth. She no longer loved him like she used to, but deep down she knew she had to move on and if she didn't she would still be torn from one man that she cared about to the other.

"I won't lie to you Raven and say it doesn't hurt. It does hurt a bit, but it's for the best."

"Are you jealous of my relationship with Ichijyo?"

He looked at her with surprised look on his face before shaking his head, "Jealousy isn't in my vocabulary. The only thing I am is envious of Shadow. After all, he could give you something I never could in a relationship; friends, a place to stay and much more. The life I would have given you would be one that you wouldn't have wanted."

"How so?"

"The constant traveling, never stopping to make friends, always on the look out for danger and there would always be the issue of you getting captured and used to turn me so I could bring my father into this world. It's not a life you would've wanted in a relationship."

Raven nodded understanding what he meant before adding, "You're right about that, it's not a life I would've wanted, but at least I could have tried had you given me the chance."

He nodded understanding and feeling a little bit of regret for not telling her how he felt about her. But now the chance was gone and over with and he had to move on.

He turned around, walked towards the door and opened it, but before he exited the room he stopped and said, "I hope you find something to help you avoid your fate."

Raven nodded and as he left she added, "I hope Lance found something that'll help you avoid yours."

* * *

In the hallway Ekelo was walking to his room, even though it was so dark that you couldn't see a thing in your face, Ekelo was just fine. Along with the power over shadows Ekelo had gained another through that power, he could see in the dark. No matter how dark it was he could see just as if it were daylight. He turned a corner and Shadow bumped right into him causing the half-demon to fall back. He landed on his rear not preparing himself for such a fall and Shadow had the same effect. 

The two got up and as they did Shadow said, "I see you've talked to Raven."

Ekelo nodded as an odd silence befell the two until Ekelo broke it, "If you want to know if she obtained some closure you can go ask her."

Shadow nodded not sensing any amount of jealousy or contempt directed at the Snake Knight. He could understand why he didn't answer his unspoken question. Ekelo knew Raven well enough to know that she didn't like it when people spoke for her.

Ekelo was about to go to his temporary room to get some rest but Shadow stopped him; "I have something for you Ekelo."

Shadow reached into his pocket before taking out a cell phone with the SB emblem on it and gave it to Ekelo who looked at it for moment, "What's this for?"

"Call it assurance. If you ever need any help… or just someone to talk to, you can use that to contact us. It's also linked to the Titans Communicators in case you're closer to Jump City. Remember that whatever you face, you don't always have to do it alone," said Shadow as he waited to hear Ekelo's reply.

"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind," said Ekelo before pocketing the cell phone.

Shadow walked pass him but was stopped by Ekelo, "Shadow, if you do anything to hurt her, I'll make sure you pay."

Shadow turned his head slightly as he nodded in understanding. He smiled somewhat as he saw a side of Ekelo that only a chosen few had ever seen. Underneath that cold, rough exterior, there was a caring person inside who just wanted what everyone else wanted; to live their lives according to their own whim and not be ruled by fear. In truth, Ekelo would fulfill his destiny in the end, but not the way it was prophesized.

* * *

"Does it still hurt?" Jinx asked 

"I should be asking you that." Ryuki replied softly. The two Titans were back in Ryuki's room. It was late, REALLY late. His mother had stayed up all night, worrying about him…about them. He knew he should've called, but he was in a life or death battle with a powerful Omega class demon. Cut him some slack. His mother only knew he was in a fight judging by the state of his and Jinx's clothes. She sent them to bed and she retired as well, being extremely exhausted. He looked at himself, still dirty from the fight.

"Who's Yaminekoryu?" the pink haired girl suddenly asked. Ryuki looked up to stare. Oh yeah, she had found out earlier.

"He's the family spiritual guardian…and he lives here," he pointed to his temple, "In my head." He continued, "He guides me and gives me advice. He also sees what I see and hears what I hear." Jinx began to get red in the face. Ryuki knew where this was going, "I can block him out, like right now…"

"So how long have you had him?' she asked.

"Since I was born I guess, but he only started to make his presence known to me when I turned 15," he answered.

"Why?"

"A boy in Japan, traditionally, becomes a man when he turns 15. I guess that was why he manifested himself. Plus, I found the Dragon Deck a week after my birthday."

"Uh huh…" she sat down on the bed and patted the spot next to her. He sat down. She leaned her head on his shoulder. "This has been one crazy night."

"You've just noticed?" he joked, "I think that being a hero means having a crazy life."

"Well, I'm starting to get sick of it," she scowled. He leaned over and kissed her forehead. She stopped scowling.

"You look cute when you scowl," he told her. He always did little things like that to brighten the witch's mood. It worked and she began giggling. He laughed too. He loved the sound and it was quite infectious.

"But seriously," she continued, "Just one night I don't want to have to fight crime or a big ass monster."

"I guess that's why we have the new recruits, plus Tiger and Lion."

"How do you know those two?" she asked.

"Back in the early days of our band, we met Puffy AmiYumi and another band called 'The Wild Ligers'. The Wild Ligers were Tiger and Lion. It was at a fundraiser concert and any band that was good enough got in on the act." He paused, "Well, during Puffy AmiYumi's performance, a bunch of Gazelle types attacked. Well, the three of us transformed and fought them off and suddenly Lion and Tiger showed up in their armor as well and helped us out. Shadow gave those two SB Cells and made them honorary SB operatives."

"What about that kid that turned into a dragon?" Jinx inquired more.

Ryuki looked up in thought, "It had been a mission to observe candidates for possible recruits. Ichijyo, Takada, me and…" he paused slightly before continuing, "…Tazuka… were sent to observe our targets. I was sent to New York to seek out and observe the 'American Dragon'."

Jinx listened. At the mention of Tazuka, his voice held a sad tone. She would have to wait for the right time before she asked about this Tazuka person.

"Anyway…" he continued, "Since Okaasan was hosting a fashion show there, it provided good cover. Jake's mom came to take some pictures and brought Jake and his friends along too. I met Jake and we became fast friends. Jake's friends, Spud and Trixie, were nice too, though Spud was not too bright."

"With a name like Spud, I guess that makes sense," Jinx made a comment.

"I then went to school with Jake and used some of my ninja training to stay out of sight when I observed him doing his job. Watching from the Mirror Dimension was also good cover. I watched as he protected the magical beings in New York. Don't know why the Dragon Council was so worked up about. He seems competent enough to do his job, though his methods were considered unorthodox, he was able to get the job done," Ryuki explained.

"Then if you had been spying on him, how did he find out about your Zodiac Knighthood?" she asked.

"He was being outnumbered by the Huntsclan and would've been slain if I hadn't leapt out and helped him. He didn't trust me at first, but together we kicked butt," Draco smiled at the memory. "Anyway, I had to tell him the truth. He was a little upset that I had been stalking him, but he thanked me for my help. Before I came back to Japan, I gave him an SB-Cell and told him to wait for a call from me."

Jinx couldn't wait any longer. She knew it would hurt Ryuki but she had to know, "Ryuki, who's Tazuka?"

Ryuki froze, staring at her with wide eyes. He knew she would ask one day, but he wasn't ready…or was he? He had tried to move on but it had been painful for him. He had left to join the Titans to get rid of the pain, but alas, it would still come.

He had never talked about Tazuka since his funeral and kept all of his feelings bottled up inside. He put on a smile so that the rest of the world wouldn't know how miserable he truly was. Of course, the pain came back again when Jinx had asked the question.

He answered the best he could, "He was…my best friend…"

"What happened to him?" she asked.

"He died…or should I say…murdered…"

That was all she needed to hear, she didn't need nor want to ask anymore. It hurt him, the memory hurt him. She then placed her hands to the sides of his face and made him gaze at her. She then gently pulled his face down as she leaned up to place a kiss to his lips. He relaxed, slowly closing his eyes, kissing back. She then reluctantly pulled away and looked up at him with sympathetic eyes. Her arms were then wrapped around his neck as she rested her chin on his shoulder. He did the same as he rested his head on her shoulder and hugged her back. She gave him a reassuring squeeze as he began crying.

She wasn't going to ask what had happened, at least not yet. He was slowly getting to terms to what had happened to Tazuka so she needn't pry, for the moment. When he was ready, he would tell her.

It still hurt, but by telling Jinx, maybe that would help ease the pain. Baby steps, just take baby steps Ryuki.

* * *

_I live as I am dead,_

_My life is full of dread,_

_All I see is red,_

_As I lie still in bed_

Shadow looked out the window. It was raining. Personally, the Snake Knight of Invisibility hated the rain. Why was that?

_Emptiness in my heart,_

_Where once light had start,_

_But it flows with blood of blackness,_

_As I slowly turn to darkness._

It was because it had been raining the day Misha died. He remembered it being his birthday and the day of the operation. He remembered that he had been late to pick up some flowers and a cake. He remembered he had been late…too late…too late to say… "Goodbye" and "I love you…" No more…no more of the pain. The first time was unbearable and the second time…

_Love is non existent,_

_So why be so persistent?_

_What's the point anymore?_

_My soul is nevermore._

The second time might just kill him,

_I lie here still,_

_Give me a poison pill,_

_Just let me end my life,_

_For I exist in a world of strife._

He gazed at the bed and saw Raven curled up under the blanket, shivering. He walked over and pulled it over so as to cover her shoulder. She seemed to sigh…he smiled, still gazing down on her.

_There is no good but only evil,_

_Like a little weevil_

_So like a bug I must die,_

_No more reason to live or try._

He had a second chance with Raven. He never thought he would fall in love again since that day and kept his heart closed up away from the rest of the world…He became cold and stony. Of course, no one could lock out love forever…

_Does it exist?_

_Is there salvation?_

_Or just a life of damnation?_

_Alone, alone, alone_…

The fight with Molock had been tiring for all of the heroes that participated. Now that it was over, they could rest. All, except one.

Shadow had told the others that he had to fill up a lot of paperwork for all the damages they've caused defeating Molock. So, he returned to his office, but not before giving Raven a goodnight kiss. It had been close to 5 am when they had defeated the beast, so they would sleep in really late the next day. He had returned very late, an hour after the others did. The Order had sent the Watchers to come and 'clean up' the area where they had fought Molock and then Gregor, making sure to modify memories of those not involved directly with the incident, making as if it had never happened. But it did happen. People had died; civilians who had nothing to do with the fight. What would happen to them now that their lives were taken from them by a demon and fallen angel?

"Urgh…" Shadow groaned. His wrist was still sore from all the paperwork he had done regarding the incident

It had been a tiring night. After defeating Molock, the situation between himself, Raven and Ekelo had been resolved and Shadow had even made Ekelo an honorary SB operative, like he did with Felix (Doc), Brick (Boar), Kazuo (Tiger), Tarou (Lion). Jenny, June, Jake and Danny had also been officially made SB Operatives. Their team was given the name Team Mystic. It had taken a while and a lot of paperwork, but it had been done and Smart Brain's second superhero team was born. Speaking of which, the four of them, Team Possible and Team Liger were staying over in the mansion for the night.

It took a very long time for Shadow to finish explaining to Draco and Pluto about his true identity as a Vampangel. They didn't treat him any differently. Draco didn't care and accepted why he had kept it a secret while Pluto had suspected from the beginning. Actually, he had thought Shadow was a vampire judging by his fangs. At least he was half right. Now it was explaining to the others that was left. They had accepted Raven's bloodline, so why not his? It would take a long time, but it had to be done. No more lying.

To Be Continued…

Woah. That took awhile. Well, we can now get back on track to the real issues here. The Order and the Watchers are an idea from Dr. Evans and so were the Crusaders, Death Knights, Ekelo and Lord Antonio. All other characters belong to their respective creators and distributors. This fic is for entertainment purposes only and I am not gaining any money, at all.


	57. PT057: First Impressions

Part 57: First Impressions

"Okaasan, I'm going to take Jinx to my old school to meet some of my old classmates, okay?" Ryuki told his mother.

"Okay, Ryuki-kun," his mother smiled, "Have fun, you too, Jen-chan."

Jinx bowed and then followed Ryuki out. It was Ryuki's day off from his duties at Smart Brain and he was going to take Jinx to see some of his old classmates at his old school.

Ryuki got on a red and silver Kawasaki motorbike and motioned for Jinx to hop on. Ryuki was dressed in a short sleeved Chinese shirt with black satin pants and sandals. Around his waist was a black leather belt. Jinx's ensemble included a black and blue t-shirt and blue jeans with black combat boots and gloves.

"So we're going to your old school?" Jinx asked. He nodded.

"Yep," he smiled, "The Red Horse Private Institute."

"I've heard about that place," Jinx commented as she hopped on behind him, "Is it really the biggest school in the country?"

"Pretty much," he told her, "It's one of the top three biggest schools in Japan. The other two are Clamp School and the Mahora Academy." He put on the helmet. and then picked up another one, which he passed on to Jinx.

"I see…" she took the helmet, "Thanks," and put it on. She had wondered why they didn't just take the Crimson Dragracer, but she then realized a bike like that would just get too much unwanted attention.

"Let's go!" he revved up the engine and kicked off the stand, before zooming out of through the gate. Emiko watched them leave from the window and sighed.

* * *

Ryuki and Jinx arrived in front of the Red Horse Institute. A red horse within a pentagon was the school's emblem. The Dragon Knight flashed the security guard his Student ID before allowing the two to enter. Ryuki parked his motorbike in front of a large school building. This was the High School campus.

Like Clamp School and Mahora Academy, the Red Horse Institute provides education from as low as kindergarten level to as high as the university level. The campus is quite big. The school was founded by none other than Ichijyo's own grandfather and has grown into one of the top private schools in Japan.

Jinx and Ryuki entered through the front door of the school building. They began walking. They went up a few flights of stairs as their conversation began.

"So if it's summer, why are we here?' Jinx asked.

"My classmates are preparing for their college entrance exams. Even though this is very much an escalator school (An escalator school guarantees a student gets to the next grade even with bad grades), the university won't accept those who scored too low," he explained.

"Plus," he continued, "I think the girls are making preparations for the Summer Festival that will be held by the end of summer." He then asked, "By the way, how's your Japanese?"

Jinx smirked, "I'm good. I had to take several language courses while I was at the HIVE. They became very useful." She then realized what he had said, "Girls?"

"I was the only guy in my class, don't ask."

Jinx then asked, "By the way, why don't you go to this school anymore?"

"After the chaos and damages me, Ichijyo-san and Takada-sempai had caused, it was decided that we took an exam that will guarantee us an early graduation."

"The school kicked you out?"

"Not exactly the words I would be looking for, but technically yes. I guess the school could no longer allow us to study here since with the three of us together, chaos and mayhem was sure to follow. We did, however, receive our diplomas and then became full time Smart Brain operatives." He then stopped in front of a room marked 3-B. "We're here. I'm gonna surprise them." He smirked evilly before raising up his hand and knocking. Sounds of footsteps could be heard. A girl's voice could be heard, "Coming!" before the door slid open.

"Hello, who are-" she froze in mid sentence. She was a cute girl, a head shorter than Ryuki with her brown hair in pigtails. She was dressed in a white shirt with a short black pleated skirt. This was the standard school uniform for girls during summer.

Ryuki smiled, "Hello Chizuru-san,"

"Chizuru-san, who is-" another girl, a pretty blonde that was taller than Chizuru stood there with her mouth wide open.

"It's good to see you to, Ayase-san," Ryuki greeted her too. That was when she screamed gathering the attention of ALL the girls in class.

"LEO?"

The girls then turned their attention to the door. Ryuki walked into the room and then turned to the class, bowing.

"It's good to see you all again. Long time no see…"

The whole class immediately surrounded and glomped the young Dragon Knight.

"How have you been?"

"Where have you been?"

"Where did you go?"

"How long have you been back?"

Questions like these were being asked by the majority of the class of 30 girls. Jinx then walked in, clearing her throat to get their attention. They didn't hear her and continued to hug Ryuki and cuddle him like a stuff toy. She then shrieked, "EXCUSE ME!" the girls stop and turned to Jinx. "What are you all doing with MY boyfriend?"

The girls all looked at her, shocked before turning to Ryuki as if demanding an explanation. The looks on their faces asked, "Is that true?" Ryuki sweatdropped before getting out of the clutches of the girls and then stood next to Jinx. He told them, "Everyone, this is my girlfriend, Jennifer Wilcox."

The whole class was silent for the next 20 seconds. These were the longest 20 seconds of anyone's life.

Ayase stared at Ryuki, then Jinx and then back to Ryuki. She then pointed accusingly at Jinx before letting her arms drop. She turned around and sulked back to her seat. Ryuki looked at her sadly. He knew she had a crush on him, which was evident by the constant presents and the flirting. However, he merely thought of her as a friend, like he did with most of the class. He looked at Jinx who was being bombarded with questions like he had been before and she struggled to answer each and every one with very little success. Ryuki sighed. Boy he pitied Jinx now.

Ryuki spoke to several of the girls. The class of 3-B was going to do a haunted house for the school's next upcoming Summer Festival. Ryuki absolutely loved those festivals as there were food stalls, games and other fun stuff to do.

Ayase sat at her desk and glared menacingly at Jinx. Her thoughts were as such: _How dare that gaijin _(foreigner)_ take my Ryuki away from me? Just look at her. What does Leo see in her anyway? This much be evil magic. The girl looks like a witch so she must've used magic to steal my Leo away._

"Ayase-san?" a girl with short green hair asked, "Are you okay?"

Ayase immediately switched back to her calm and pretty demeanor, "Why do you ask, Midori-san?"

"Well, Leo-kun wanted to ask if you'd help him with his ideas to add to the school festival. It might just be fun."

Ayase's eyes sparkled. This was the chance she was looking for. The gaijin did not stand a chance.

"Okay, thank you Midori-san."

Ryuki noticed a girl with short black hair that was looking down shyly at the ground. She stood alone against the wall and would not meet his gaze. He then went to talk to her.

"Hello, Shinobu-chan," he greeted kindly. She greeted back shyly.

"Hello to...to…to you too…" she stuttered nervously.

Ryuki smiled. When he first met Shinobu, she had been very nervous around boys and quite shy. Ironically, she developed a crush on Ryuki and they went on a 'date' to an amusement park. She told him her feelings and then ran away. The next day, he clarified that he only liked her as a friend. She was heartbroken, for awhile, but recovered and she decided that his friendship was good enough.

* * *

After Ryuki had gotten reacquainted with his old classmates, he and Jinx left, Ayase began formulating a plan. The class had been caught by surprise by Ryuki's sudden visit, so it was only fair that they did the same to him. They were going to have a welcome home party. At the party, she would 'save' him from the gaijin witch. She laughed. "Oh ho ho ho!" which earned her weird stares from her classmates.

Ryuki would be hers and no one would stop her.

* * *

Jinx asked in disbelief, "Takada blew up the biology, psychics and chemistry labs?"

"All in the same day, at the same time," he paused, "I don't think they've cleaned that smell out yet, though."

Both Titans were at one of the local cafes on campus. Both were sharing a strawberry milkshake. They would never order a chocolate milkshake due to Ryuki's 'condition'. Ryuki sighed, "This is the coldest treat I could ever enjoy."

"Why's that?" she asked.

He answered, "I've always had my Zodiac Power for a very long time. That's why I don't need to wear a snow coat during winter; I can keep myself warm." He sighed, "But because of my powers, I could never enjoy snowball fights or go ice skating or even eat ice scream since I automatically melt the stuff once I come into contact.

"You can't control it?" she asked sympathetically.

"I've explained how my powers work, Jinx. My body heats up when it gets cold."

"And you've NEVER had ice cream?" he nodded, "That's horrible!"

"It's no big," he shrugged as he took a sip of the milkshake, "You don't have to worry, Jinx, it's my problem."

"But that's so unfair!" Jinx took his hand and squeezed it, "And you never learnt how to ice skate?"

"It's kinda hard when I keep melting a hole through the ice," he chuckled.

"There could be a way to neutralize your powers. I think I know a spell that can help."

"Not a good idea. Zodiac Magic does not mix well with other types of magic, trust me on this. I should know, Ichijyo and I experienced it first hand."

"What happened?"

He groaned, "Don't ask…"

* * *

A lone motorcycle pulled up in front of a hospital. Mounted on it were a man and a woman. The man was dressed in a blue muscle shirt and black leather pants. The woman was dressed in a midriff black shirt with white pants that came down to her claves. They were Takada and Blackfire

"Alright," Takada said as he took off his helmet, "We're here."

Blackfire took of the helmet she was wearing, "A hospital? What're we doing here, puppy?"

Takada winced, "Please don't call me that in public, Komi."

"No promises," she looked at the building. "So why are we here?"

"We're going to see my mom," Takada stated.

Blackfire froze in shock. His mom? Wasn't she in a coma? "You…you sure about this?"

Takada placed his hands on her shoulders before leaning in and kissing her forehead, "Trust me, Komi. It'll be okay."

"I know but meeting my boyfriend's mom? I don't think I'm ready, even if she is in a coma." She looked at Takada's expression, "But…anything for you."

The couple walked into the hospital where Takada approached the receptionist before asking, "I've come to visit a Mrs. Reika Takada."

The receptionist gave him the room number and they continue on their way until they reach the door. Takada was about to open it while Blackfire still looked a little apprehensive. She took a deep breath and sighed. "Okay, I'm ready." Takada pushed the door open and entered, followed by Blackfire.

In the middle of the ward was a beautiful woman that didn't look over 30. She had short black hair that framed her face and pale skin. She was in the bed and hooked up to various life support machines that were keeping her alive. Blackfire spoke, "She looks so young…"

"Well, she and my dad married when she was 18. He used to be her teacher back in High School. They were secretly engaged and were very much in love," Takada explained. He pulled up a chair and sat down near the bed with Blackfire doing the same. He spoke, softly, "Hi mom, it's been awhile. I don't know if you can hear me but I want you to know that I'm fine." Takada introduced his girlfriend, "And this is Karmen Anders, my girlfriend."

Blackfire, though unlike her sister, was still a little confused with the behavior of earthlings. Talking to an unconscious person was not in her culture. They just couldn't hear a thing, as she assumed. But here, it was…comforting…Blackfire decided to say something, "Hello, Mrs. Takada. Don't worry, I'm taking good care of your son.

And the rest of the visit was spent with the couple telling the comatose mother of their lives together. Unbeknownst to them, she could hear them and smiled as her spirit hovered over them. She wasn't dead but was having an outer body experience. She could still go back into her body. She would often do this to visit her son in his dreams or to go and visit her husband's soul in heaven.

"_I am glad that you are happy my son…"_

* * *

Shadow was in his office and yawned. He was still slightly exhausted from the events of last night. Sitting in front of him were the four members of the newly dubbed Team Mystic; Jake Long, Jenny Wakeman, Juniper Lee and Danny Fenton, also known as the American Dragon, XJ-9, the Te Xuan Ze, and Danny Phantom.

Shadow looked through the reports and then looked at the foursome with scrutiny, "I am pleased to inform you that the area in which we fought Molock has been repaired and any signs of a battle have been removed."

"But how is that possible?' Jenny asked, "I mean, who were those guys?"

"Those were the Watchers. They help cover up demonic and supernatural activity the public does not need to know about," June explained, "They've been active since the veil dropped."

"The veil that made the magical realm invisible to mortals," Jake added.

"So if they cover up stuff like that, why haven't they've done the same to my town?" Danny asked.

"The Watchers feel that since the ghost attacks in Amity Parks are a _minor_ nuisance, they don't feel that it is a priority," Shadow replied.

Danny stood up angrily, "Not a priority! Hello, I had to fight Vlad, the Fright Knight, Pariah Dark, Walker and any other evil ghost who wants my hide. They attack my town and cause a lot of damage and they don't think it's a priority?"

Shadow fixed his sunglasses, "I'm sorry, Danny. Since the ghost attacks are only limited to there as well as isolated, they do not feel that cover ups are necessary. Plus, you're handling the problem well on your own, aren't you?"

"Ryan helped," Danny shrugged. Ryan was a Vizard who worked for The Order and helped Danny fight off some of the evil ghosts and slay the Hollows that were showing up.

"Well then…I've sent two reports, one of what really happened and another edited version to the high office. They have sent their reply and they think that the four of you need training."

"Training?" Jake gasped, "But we're already so good! Remember last night?"

"I do and trust me, I think that they are right," Shadow put the file down and placed his hands under his chin, "If you are to function as Smart Brain operatives, you WILL learn to hone your hidden skills and abilities and work as a team." Shadow narrowed his eyes, "Do I make myself clear?"

The glare intimidated the four and they agreed. Jake then spoke up, "Then I'll be leader, yo!"

"Sorry, Jacob, but I've already decided on who the leader shall be," Shadow turned his seat and back to them. Jake's jaw dropped.

"You have to be trippin' wit' me dude! Why not?" Jake exclaimed as a pair of black bat wings revealed themselves and Jake backed away before the wings shrunk back and Shadow turned to face them.

"My decision is final. Now, you four shall go and to the secret underground HQ to pick up your uniforms." Shadow pressed a button under his desk and metal shackles clamped onto the four teens' wrists and ankles.

"HEY!"

"Ta ta," Shadow waved as he pressed another button. The four disappeared into 4 individual trap holes.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Shadow grinned and leaned back in his chair. Raven appeared via teleportation and shook her head, "You love your job WAY too much." She was dressed in her uniform. She pulled down the hood.

"I know," he grinned. He then frowned, "I heard that Ekelo left earlier, right?"

"He did. He never says goodbye. Luckily he left before Draco woke up."

"I wonder who's luckier, Ekelo or Leo?" Shadow played with his fingers.

"They don't like each other much, do they?" Raven asked.

"What was your first clue? For some reason, Draco just annoys the Hell out of Ekelo."

"Could it be that Draco is possessed by a demonic spirit called Yaminekoryu?" Raven continued, "I've read about him. He killed almost 10,000 people before he was captured and sealed."

"Ten thousand and one, actually," Shadow corrected, "And guess who sealed him?"

"One of Draco's ancestors?"

"You guessed right," Shadow got up from his seat and hugged Raven from behind and began kissing her neck. Raven brought her hands up to touch his and sighed. She then turned around to claim his lips with hers. As his kisses trail down to her neck, Raven noticed two files on his desk. She asked, "Possible recruits?"

He stopped kissing her and then turned to look at her files then back at her, "Not really…" he used his telekinesis to bring up the files and then opened them up to let Raven see. In one was a picture of an old woman with pink hair and a short stature whilst the other file showed a picture of a girl in a black dress, wearing blue prayer beads around her neck and a red bandanna on her head. She held the same stony expression that Raven had sometimes. "Genkai and Anna Kyoyama. They're going to train our recruits."

"Why them?" Raven asked.

"These two are known to be very strict. Genkai was recommended by Koenma whilst Anna was recommended by the Shaman Council. These two have been known to whip people up so badly that a lot of people nearly died of exhaustion from their training. However, the results produced are excellent, if I do say so myself. I'll be calling them soon."

* * *

Team Mystic literally dropped into the secret underground SB Base and flew out of their chairs into some soft cushions with crosshair targets on them to absorb the impact.

"That was fun," Danny muttered sarcastically.

"No kidding," Jake groaned.

"Okay! I know he's one of the good guys and all, but can I please punch his lights out?" June growled.

"Be my guess," Jake stated, "I'll help."

"That was kinda fun!" Jenny sad with a smile The other three looked at her like she had grown an extra head, "What? It was!"

"Yeah," June muttered, "Screw loose…"

"What was that?' Jenny glared.

"You heard that?" June gulped.

"Nice of you all to drop in," Prof. Murata welcomed her. With her were Kim, Ron, Wade and Rufus. "Literally."

"What's the sitch?" Kim greeted.

"And a booyah to you too," Ron added.

"Yeah, charmed," Danny spoke up, "Listen, I know I still owe you for that truck, but it was an emergency."

"I understand," Prof. Murata smiled, "It was just amazing how you were able to run that Molock over before you phased everyone out of the truck when he blew it up."

"One of my many talents," Danny said proudly.

"Listen, you have all been selected specially by Smart Brain to be our newest group of heroes against the forces of evil," Prof. Murata explained.

"About that," Jenny spoke up, "I've dealt with a lot of strange stuff, but Heaven and Hell? Demons, vampires, angels and gods? This is a little out of my league."

"Is the robot scared?' June mocked.

"I'm not!" Jenny retorted, "But it's just so much for me to understand before my brain circuits overload."

"Yes…XJ-9, right?" Prof. Murata looked Jenny up and down.

"Please call me Jenny, Jenny Wakeman," Jenny corrected.

"Wakeman…? Where have I heard that name before?" Prof. Murata snapped her fingers, "Ah, yes. Are you by any chance related to a Dr. Nora Wakeman?"

"Yeah…technically she's my mom since she built me," Jenny said embarrassed.

"Nora, how I miss the old girl," Prof. Murata mused.

"Were you friends?" Jenny asked.

"Very much. I really admired her work even when I was a child. She was my idol."

"Mad scientists must hang out a lot together," Jake whispered into June's ear.

"Do not worry, Jenny. I know it's scary at first, but you'll get used to it."

Rufus nodded, "Hnk ka."

Jake gasped, "Dude! You've got a bald hamster on your shoulder!"

Rufus glared and gave the American Dragon a raspberry. Ron corrected, "Rufus is a naked mole rat."

June cooed, "He's so precious." She scratched Rufus' chin. The mole rat sighed.

"Okay, that's nice. So, what are we doing here?" Danny asked.

"Your uniforms are ready for you all. They are in the lockers marked with your names on them," Prof. Murata pointed behind her and the wall flipped around to reveal several marked lockers with their names on them. The quartet of teenagers approached them and then looked at their lockers. Jake's read 'The American Dragon', Jenny's read 'XJ-9', June's read 'Te Xuan Ze' and Danny's read 'Phantom'.

"Say, these aren't our names…" Jake asked. "What up doc?"

"The lockers are marked with your codenames, Mr. Long," said Shadow as he appeared with Raven. Shadow was in his Smart Brain Operative uniform with an addition of his cloak. "You will call each other by them on the field to conceal your identities."

"But I don't have a secret identity," Jenny pointed to herself. Shadow shook his head and pulled several items from his cloak and then threw them at the teens. They grabbed them. They were now holding digital wrist watches.

"Sweet!" Jake grinned.

"Cool!" Danny agreed.

"Not really my color," June stared at it.

"Um…thanks?" Jenny said questionably.

"Those SB-Watches will identify you as SB operatives giving you nearly unlimited access to Smart Brain's secrets and facilities," Shadow explained, "They can boost the signal of your SB-Cells if you're outside the area, say on another planet or in another dimension." Shadow walked over to put the watch on Jenny's wrist. Jenny got a closer look at Ichijyo. She saw his pale white skin and crystal blue eyes and started to get a little warm. He then pressed a button and stepped back. Everyone in the room dropped their jaws.

"What?' Jenny asked, "Is there something on my face?"

Shadow pulled a mirror out of his cloak and raised it to Jenny's face. Jenny gasped. Looking back at her was a red haired HUMAN girl with pigtails and wearing a blue midriff top with a matching skirt, thigh high boots and absolutely gorgeous blue eyes. "IS THAT ME?" she exclaimed.

"The watches include holo-projectors that can conceal you with a hologram. As you can see, Jenny's disguise looks almost realistic," Prof. Murata explained.

"I'll say," Ron looked Jenny up and down but got slapped in the back of the head by an annoyed Kim.

"Woah! Foxy lady!" Jake wolf whistled. June looked a little angry. Wonder why? Jealousy much?

Jenny twirled, "Now I do look like a Jenny." She laughed before going to hug Ichijyo. He phased through her.

"Don't push it, XJ-9," Shadow hissed.

"Wait til Tuck, Brad and Sheldon see this!" Jenny smiled, admiring herself in the mirror. June rolled her eyes.

"Vain much?"

"Uniforms, NOW!" Shadow shouted and the quartet immediately opened their lockers to take their uniforms before going to the appropriate rooms to change. Shadow rubbed his temples, grumbling, "I don't know what The Order was thinking telling us to recruit these teens."

Minutes later, the teens step out of the changing room in their uniforms. They all wore matching black SB jumpsuits with the identifying belt buckle but with mismatched gloves and boots. Danny's were white, Jakes' were red, June's were pink and Jenny's were blue. In addition, their individual emblems had been sewn onto their uniforms. Danny had his DP symbol on his, Jake had what looked like his dragon form roaring over his human form, June's looked like a dragonfly and Jenny's looked like a cartoony version of her face. The teens saluted.

"TEAM MYSTIC REPORTING FOR DUTY, SIR!"

Shadow saluted back and smiled. Maybe this wasn't so bad. Only time would tell.

To Be Continued…

Well, was that nice. Looks like Jenny's happy. Wonder what would happen when Team Mystic meet Anna and Genkai. Will they survive?


	58. PT058: Bike Be Gone

Part 58: Bike Be Gone

Draco was piloting his Storm Chopper (Brainstorm's Vehicle Mode) Inside the condor-like flying machine were himself, Jinx, Danny "Phantom" Fenton, Jake "American Dragon" Long, Juniper "Te Xuan Ze" Lee and Jenny "XJ-9" Wakeman. They were all headed towards the SB Training Grounds.

"We're nearly there," said Draco as he manned the controls of the chopper, Jinx sat next to him to give moral support. "I hope you're all ready."

"14 days without any technology for miles," Jenny cringed, "I'm not liking this."

"I thought robots were made of tougher stuff," Jake teased.

"Watch that mouth lizard boy!" Jenny snapped.

"Relax guys," Danny decided to play peacemaker, "We're nearly there."

"And it won't be that bad," said June as she fixed the straps of her boot.

The members of Team Mystic were all dressed in their uniforms and Jenny wasn't wearing her holographic disguise.

"So…Dragon Knight," Jake asked, "Where will we be landing?"

Draco and Jinx looked at each other before they burst into uncontrollable laughter. The recruits sweatdropped.

"What's so funny?" Danny asked, feeling slightly nervous.

"Who ever said we were landing?" Draco said as he punched in a red button. It was common knowledge that a red button was not good, in this case included, "Sayonara!"

A trap door opened under the recruits' feet and they fell through, screaming, "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Danny immediately changed into his ghost mode, Jake assumed dragon mode, Jenny activated her jet rockets, which left only…

"CAN SOMEBODY PLEASE HELP ME?" June yelled out.

"June! I'll save ya!" Jake flew down after her and caught her in his arms.

"Thanks Jake," June said to him, trying to hide a blush.

"Hey, it's the American Dragon's job to save cute babes like yourself," Jake flirted, giving her a wide toothy dragon grin. Danny and Jenny rolled their eyes before they landed.

"Where are we? And where are the training grounds?" Danny asked.

"I'll try and use my radar," Jenny activated her GPS transmitter to find any signs of civilization, but came out zilch. "I got nothing."

Danny's SB-Cell rang and he picked it up. He put it to his ear, "Hello?"

"Hey Danny!" Draco's voice rang through the other end.

Danny shouted into it, "ARE YOU CRAZY! YOU COULD'VE KILLED US DROPPING US OUT OF THE CHOPPER LIKE THAT!"

Draco responded, "I told you to expect the unexpected, remember? See ya in two weeks!"

"Wait! Where are the training grounds?" Danny asked.

"That's your first task, Danny," Draco continued, "You and your team have to look for it using only your skills, abilities, and powers."

"What do you mean, 'my team'?" Danny asked suspiciously.

"I mean you're team leader," Draco replied, "Well, sayonara, Inviso-Bill!" he then hung up.

"MY NAME IS NOT INVISO-BILL!" Danny shouted into the phone.

"So, what are we supposed to do now?" Jake said, now back in human form.

"Draco said our first task is to find the Training Grounds ourselves," Danny said, "As a team."

"So I appoint myself team leader!" Jake pointed to himself cockily.

"In your dreams, Jake," Jenny rolled her eyes, "I make a better leader."

"A robot leading a team," June sighed sarcastically, "How original."

"You wanna peace of me Te Xuan Ze?" Jenny snapped.

"Bring it on robo-sistah!" June snapped back.

"Actually…Draco already made me team leader," Danny said nervously.

* * *

Zodiac Force!" Draco's body glowed red, "DRAGON!" The flames swirled and danced around him, seconds before solidifying his armor.

"Zodiac Force!" Pluto's body glowed blue, "DOG!" Strong winds whipped around his body, causing his hair to fly up. The wind turned into energy that encased his upper torso, forearms, and lower legs before solidifying into his black and silver armor.

They drew out their XL-Vent cards and slid them into their belt buckles. They whispered, "XL-Vent."

The armors were still the same, but with one subtle difference; the bodysuits underneath.

Draco and Pluto were both wearing the new Excel Suits, which had been designed based on the schematics of the battle suits Wade had made for Kim and Ron. Both suits were black with several minor differences.

Running up the legs and sleeves of Draco's Excel Suit were diamond shaped markings, glowing with a strange red fluid substance. The substance flowed into the gauntlets and boots as well as the torso armor, making it glow a little as well. The same went for Pluto, but instead of red jagged patterns were blue lines running down his arms and legs and horizontal lines going over the outer arms and legs. A bluish substance flowed through the streams, giving Pluto an eerie, yet awesome, appearance.

Shadow stood outside of the SB Testing Zone from behind a solid, bulletproof, glass screen. With him were the girls, Team Possible, Wade and Prof. Murata. He was here to watch the Excel Suits in action since he had been the one to authorize the project in the first place. He wanted the results to be up to his standards: Perfection. Felix and Brick had gone back to Middleton to protect it while Lion and Tiger went back to touring Japan with Puffy Amiyumi, but not before giving Pluto an autographed CD.

"Are you ready boys?" Prof. Murata's voice spoke through. The response she got was a thumbs up from the Dog Knight and a victory sign from the Dragon Knight.

"Okay, guys. Remember that those Excel Suits and Gears are _still_ experimental," Wade added, emphasizing 'still' as discreetly as possible.

"How bad could it be Wade?" Ron spoke over his shoulder, "I mean, you did improve on Kim and my battle suits, right? What could go wrong?"

"That's why we're testing them, Stoppable-san," Prof. Murata said, "We want to know if the improvements made on the battle suit technology is top notch."

"And...?" Shadow raised an eyebrow. He knew that this woman had more than one agenda, coming from knowing her as well as from his father's memories.

"Plus I think it might be fun to see how much power the new Excel Suits can dish out!" Prof. Murata admitted.

"Spoken like a true mad genius," Raven shook her head.

"Prof. Murata is just ahead of her time," Wade defended her.

"Thank you Wade-san," Prof. Murata smiled. This made the 12 year old genius blush, which was noticed by Jinx.

"Aw...looks like the little genius has a crush," she teased, making Wade blush a deeper shade of red.

"Can we get on with this?" Blackfire said impatiently, "I wanna go to this Club Banana store that Kim told me about."

"Glad to see where your priorities are," Shadow quipped sarcastically, earning a glare from the older sister of Starfire.

"Come on Shadow!" Kim flung her arm around Blackfire's shoulders, "It's a girl thing."

The Snake Knight of Invisibility merely rolled his eyes, "Whatever..."

"Okay boys..." Prof. Murata spoke into the mic, "Do your thing."

A blade popped out of Draco's Dragauntlet as Pluto drew out his SB Cell and activated its blaster mode, with the antenna becoming the barrel. Draco went into a ready stance with his Dragblade, expecting to counter the blasts from Pluto's Phone Blaster. His green eyes began to glow red with fire, making the eyepieces red as well.

With a roar and a howl, they charged at each other.

Pluto pulled the trigger and shot Draco with several low powered shots from his blasterr. Draco used his Dragsword to block each of the shots before slamming the gun away from Pluto's hand with the blade and then following up with a knee strike into Pluto's chin. Blackfire winced as Jinx cheered.

Pluto recovered quickly and grabbed Draco's leg before he was able to pull back. With a jerk, the Dog Knight now had Draco on the floor and was now administering a very painful wrestling maneuver that Ron had seen before, many times, while watching wrestling on TV. This time it was Blackfire's turn to cheer.

The patterns on the Excel suit Draco was wearing began to glow and he enveloped himself in flames. Pluto was then forced back by a red telekinetic blast.

Shadow hated this. He should be in there testing out the Excel suits as well. Unfortunately, he was forced to merely watch. Raven made sure of that since the fight with Molock. He was being exhausted by all the paperwork and personally testing out new weaponry would cause him to suddenly fall unconscious due to exhaustion.

Draco and Pluto drew out his Final Vent card. Pluto did the same thing. They then activated the cards at the same time, "Final Vent."

Red energy began to flow through Draco's suit as Blue energy flowed through Pluto's. This was the final test. They both leapt off the ground and aimed their Final Vents at each other.

"DEADLY IMMIRTAL'S DRILL!"

"DRAGON COMBUSTION KICK!"

Both attacks made contact and with a bright flash and loud boom, pushed the two Titans away from each other, sending them flying into the walls. The armors disappeared, together with the Excel Suits.

"What a workout," Draco said as he got up. He looked at Pluto and asked, "Are you okay?"

"Just dandy," Pluto said.

Suddenly, the alarms blared. Prof. Murata pressed a button on the console and the radar came on. It picked up something. Her eyes widened, "Looks like the thief couldn't wait to show himself. He's riding the Desert Stinger through down town."

Shadow looked at the Titans and Team Possible. He then nodded at them as they nodded back. "Let's go," he said, walking out of the room, followed by the 5 Titans and Team Possible.

* * *

The Titans and Team Possible were in the vehicle hangar where the Z-Riders were parked as well as Ron's rocket powered scooter. Shadow, Draco and Pluto were already in their armor and got on their bikes. Raven preferred to fly through the air like Blackfire. Jinx, however, couldn't fly so she decided to ride with Draco. Kim rode with Ron, who had just transformed into Animorph.

"Open hangar doors," Shadow whispered. The double doors slid open, leading to outside. The Knights readied their engines before speeding out of through the hangar doors. Blackfire and Raven followed after them in the air.

Shadowcobra checked the onboard radar and tracking device on his Z-Rider. The Desert Stinger was close by. However, something didn't add up. For one thing, the bike had a built in cloaking mechanism, so why was it showing up on radar? Maybe the thief didn't know how it worked? Possible. However, Shadowcobra was ready for any and all possibilities.

The Z-Riders were so fast that Animorph had to activate the rockets on his scooter to catch up with them. He couldn't believe he was going into battle with the three Zodiac Titans again. Kim sensed his excitement and rolled her eyes. "Ron," she said, "Keep your head in the game."

"Gotcha KP," he said to her, grinning under his helmet.

"I've locked onto the target!" Pluto announced. "Target is about 500 meters away."

"Better catch up to him then," Draco said, revving up his engine and he sped ahead.

"Don't show off, Draco!" Shadowcobra scolded as he sped after him. Pluto couldn't help but accelerate as well. Raven rolled her eyes.

"Boys…" she muttered.

"Agreed," Blackfire nodded, flying after the three with Raven. Kim and Animorph also raced after the flying girls as well.

"I've got visual!" Draco said. There in front of him, no mistake, was the Desert Stinger. And on it, a Zodiac Knight in black and red armor. His back was towards them. His shoulder guard covered the upper half of his arms from his shoulders and had spikes running over them. His helmet was rounded. The black was trimmed with red.

No doubt that he was one of Yoshido's Black Zodiac Knights.

Shadow narrowed his eyes under his visor. He thought, _Masaru…could that be you…_

Suddenly, the viewing screen on Shadow's bike lit up, showing the Knights' helmet covered face. "Hello…Abomination…" The Knight said.

"Masaru!" Shadow gasped. He knew that voice anywhere.

"No," he shook his head. "Call me…HUNTER!"

Hunter's helmet had a red visor with six slits running over each eye, horizontally, and a faceplate with 6 slits running over it vertically. He glared hatefully at Shadow.

"Why are you doing this?" Shadow asked.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Hunter countered, before the screen went blank.

Shadow hissed. Why was Masaru doing this? Regardless, if Masaru, or Hunter, as he had called himself, had stolen the bike, he had to be taken in, no matter how much it hurt.

Hunter watched through one of the rearview mirrors and smiled. He activated one of the weapons of the bike and fired a green glob of something at his pursuers. He had missed the rest of them, but he did hit something.

"AW MAN!" Animorph exclaimed. His scooter, him, and Kim were completely stuck and coated in a green blob.

"Ron! Turn into something!" Kim shouted, trying to punch her way through the blob. Ron did as asked but none of the animal forms he used worked. The blob just stretched with him as he changed shape.

Shadow grimaced. Not good.

Hunter then saw that his pursuers weren't giving up. Feeling malevolent, he activated the homing missiles in the back of the bike and aimed them before letting them fly.

The missile launchers in the back of the Desert Stinger fired. Three individual missiles rocketed towards the…the Z-RIDERS!

"CRAP!" Draco shouted, grabbing Jinx around the waist before leaping off his Crimson Dragracer. Shadow leapt off his Shadow Chaser and joined Raven in the air. Pluto, however, couldn't get off his Dog Catcher fast enough before the missiles hit. All three motorcycles were engulfed in fire and smoke as they blew up, spewing shrapnel everywhere.

Hunter, on the Desert Stinger, looked over his shoulder and laughed. He activated the stealth mechanism and the turbo chargers before disappearing from the Titans' sight.

Draco dropped to his knees and slammed his fist into the asphalt. Jinx was sympathetic. Shadow, on the other hand, didn't show any emotion as he watched the Desert Stinger speed away. Pluto, on the other hand, was different story; he was a total wreck.

"MY BABIES!" he howled, crying over the destroyed Z-Riders that had taken him so long to build. The precious bikes were now charred remains of metal, sprawled all over the road. Blackfire landed next to him and consoled her crying boyfriend. Like Cyborg, he too loved his machines. He was not the bit worried of his blackened clothes since he was the closest to the triple explosion upon the missiles' impact.

"We better return to base," Shadow suggested, pulling up the collar of his cloak.

Draco agreed, "Better get clean up here, right away, to pick up what's left of the Z-Riders."

"But…but what about…" Pluto sniffled.

"Just suck it up, Pluto!" Shadow hissed. He was growing irritated with Pluto's attitude, his love, towards machines. He was about to make a hurtful comment when a conversation he had with Raven got into his head regarding Cyborg.

Cyborg had put his heart, circuits, and soul into the T-Car. The same was for Pluto as he had put all his soul, heart, blood and sweat into building the Z-Riders for them…his friends.

Shadow sighed and went over to help his friend. He then, with Raven, telekinetically lifted the parts into the air.

"They can be rebuilt again, my friend. Better even," Shadow said. Raven smiled at this. Pluto was so touched that he was going to hug Shadow. However, the Snake Knight would have none of that. He conjured up several shadow hands that held Pluto in place. Shadow then added, threatening, "Don't push it…"

"Let's make another plan to catch this guy," Raven said.

"Right," Blackfire nodded, "After a full body massage. My joints are tired. Your masseuse better be ready, Red."

Draco rolled his eyes…and then winced. He was too sore and tired from the chase. Maybe a good soak in the hot tub would do him good. Draco was okay with the tub, just as long as his head didn't go under and he had Jinx there to join him.

Some Smart Brain operatives helped Ron and Kim with their sticky situation. Kim grumbled as she had failed a mission. But, she didn't blame Ron. It just might be that she missed the rest of the action. Rufus was trying to get the slime off himself as well.

* * *

The Titans and Team Possible returned, not to the base, but to Draco's mansion for some rest and relaxation, and to plan out the next strategy to take down the thief. Pluto and Shadow went back to Smart Brain to settle some work. Shadow had to attend an important business meeting while Pluto was with Prof. Murata, salvaging and repairing what was left of the Z-Riders

"Now this is heaven…" Blackfire sighed as she lay on a table, being given a full body massage. She was completely nude under the towel. Raven was with her too and being massaged as well.

Raven, contrary to popular belief, absolutely loved being pampered. She was, after all, a girl. And girls just wanna have fun, no? Raven could only agree as she sighed while the female masseuse rubbed her back, loosening the muscles and relaxing them.

Both Draco and Jinx were soaking in the hot tub. She had on a black and pink bikini while he was clad only in a pair of red trunks. He allowed the hot water to rejuvenate him. Jinx had made sure that NOTHING was going to happen to him in the water. Draco still had fear of water, but large bodies only like the sea. Hot tubs, he could handle.

He just wasn't ready to go into a swimming pool yet.

Draco used his powers to raise the temperature, just a little bit. Jinx sighed and cuddled up against him. They were both barely clad and the contact made the Dragon Knight blush.

* * *

Nothing had been heard about the thief for next few days. Kim and Ron had to stay at the mansion until the guy was caught. Kim was also being pampered, and enjoying it, I might add.

The 6 Titans and Team Possible were relaxing near the outdoor pool of Draco's Mansion, clad in swimsuits. Several bodyguards were situated in strategic locations to keep their boss's son and his friends safe from unwanted attention, especially paparazzi.

"It's so damn hot…" Pluto groaned as he wiped the sweat off his brow and then reached for a cold glass of orange juice. He had on a pair of blue trunks

"I like it," Draco admitted, soaking in the water, wearing red swimming trunks. He still couldn't swim but Jinx had 'helped' him get over his fear of water, if you catch my meaning (Wink, wink). That was why they were at the shallow end as not to cause him to panic.

"Well I'm not surprised. You're a DRAGON, remember? Dragons love the heat."

Draco laughed, "True." Jinx got out from the pool and he looked Jinx up and down. The water was glistening off her body and that little pink bikini was barely covering anything at all. He swallowed a lump in his throat as his train of thought was going in the worst, or best, direction possible, depending on whose point of view. "But so does Shadow."

Pluto looked over at the Snake Knight who was wearing sunglasses and sitting in a beach chair next to him. He was wearing a black sleeveless shirt and matching trunks. For a half vampire, he sure loved the sun. "Well…" Pluto began, "He is a SNAKE and snakes are cold blooded. So, they like the sun too."

"And Shadow was getting a little sluggish while the Weather Wizard was causing mayhem," Draco added.

"I'm a Snake, remember?" Shadow said, removing his sunglasses, "Cold blood plus cold weather slows down my metabolism." He then quipped, "At least I wasn't dumb enough to try to lick an ice cold lamp post."

Pluto grumbled, "My tongue hurt the whole day, even after I was pulled off."

"I had to drag you back to the Tower, remember?" Raven reminded Shadow. She was in a black bikini that contrasted well with her pale skin tone and sitting under a beach umbrella, relaxing while reading one of her favorite works of literature.

Blackfire dove into the pool. She was clad, or barely clad, in a maroon string bikini that should've been illegal. Where she got it was anybody's guess. Pluto was busy looking her whole body up and down with his tongue hanging out and drooling like an idiot. Ron was too, earning a smack in the back of the head from Kim, who was wearing a green bikini.

"Ow! Kim!" Ron yelped. Ron was in a pair of green trunks and wearing a white t-shirt.

"Eyes on me, Ronnie," she told him, smiling slyly before kissing him.

While the thief who stole the Desert Stinger got away, they had heard neither hide nor hair of him. This gave the vacationing teens a chance to go on with the vacationing part of their 'Working Vacation', as they had so eloquently put it. The girls were in bikinis and having fun. For Raven, reading was fun. She did slap Shadow's hand away when he offered to put some sun block on her back. She loved him, with all her heart and she knew he loved her. Unfortunately, his vampiric perversion usually got in the way. He had groped her a few times while they were making out, passionately. She admitted that she liked the attention but she needed her space. She blushed, remembering the time when she walked into the gym and saw him doing crunches upside down without a shirt on. It had been on the first day he moved into the Tower and she could never get the image out of her head even if she wanted to.

Suddenly, the cell phone on the table next to Shadow's beach chair rang and he reached over, picking it up, "Hello? Prof. Murata? Oh. Okay. Uh huh… I understand. Right… I'll tell the others." He hung up and called the teens, "That was Prof. Murata. She said it's urgent that we get to Smart Brain right away." The rest of the teens groaned. Shadow understood the sentiment, but this was important.

* * *

The teens arrived at the HQ, fully dressed, and Prof. Murata led them to her lab.

"What is this about, Prof. Murata?" Shadow asked. The professor merely gave him a smile, a scary smile.

They now stood in front of a large tarp that was covering over something…or some things. Wade was nearby and he had an eager smile on his face…a little too eager.

"What's under the tarp?" Draco asked. The Professor remained mum as she headed towards one side of the tarp as Wade stood on the other.

"Prepare yourself kids! Ready Wade?" Prof Murata said eagerly.

"Ready professor," Wade added.

"One…two…THREE!" Wade and Prof. Murata threw the tarp off and the teens gasped, with a myriad of expressions. In front of them were three Special Issued Smart Brain Corporation motorcycles. One was a blue and silver motorcycle, another one was black and violet with a sidecar, and the third one was large, red and silver with 5 rocket jets built into the back.

"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, I present you all with…The ZX-Motor Majin (The blue and silver bike), the ZX-Shadow Basher (The black and purple bike with the sidecar) and the ZX-Jet Slinger (The large, red and silver bike with the jet engines)…THE ZX-RIDERS!"

Draco: "WOAH!"

Jinx: "SWEET!"

Pluto: "AWESOME!"

Kim: "SPANKIN!"

Ron: "BOOYAH!"

Shadow: "Impressive."

Raven: "Woah."

Blackfire was completely speechless.

There was an air of agreement. The thief was not getting away from them again, not now that they have…THE ZX-RIDERS!

To Be Continued…

Well, we now know the identity of the thief. And the Knights get new toys. Plus, Team Mystic has to find the training grounds. Won't that be swell? Anyway, all other characters belong to their rightful creators and all that stuff.


	59. PT059: The Dragon's Vengence

Part 59: Dragon's Vengence

"Dragon Rider Kick!" Draco shouted as he slammed into a target with his flaming foot out. He was in the Smart Brain training room and was practicing using Unification Over Soul. He turned around and slammed a glowing red fist into another target that popped up behind him. His leg sliced another target in half.

The exact object of this training was to practice Draco's speed, agility, and accuracy, as he destroyed the targets by hitting them in the bull's eye. So far, he was able to hit all the targets perfectly. When a dozen more targets popped out of the ground, Draco took in a deep breath and blew out a long stream of flames at the target, sweeping through and burning them to a crisp.

Next were several floating targets. 6 floating silver orbs came down and fired stun lasers at Draco. Draco did a back flip to dodge and used Dragonzer's power to fly into the air. He smashed a fist into one of the basketball sized orbs and pulled out the circuits. The 5 other orbs surrounded him. Draco saw his options and grinned. He dropped out of the sky the instant the orbs opened fire, blasting each other instead. Draco landed on the ground and smiled confidently. He deactivated his Over Soul, pulling Dragonzer back into his card. His armor dematerialized.

Prof. Murata and the Titans were on the other side of the glass. The good Professor and Pluto were working on the controls. Team Possible were not present since they had been summoned by Global Justice for a Top Secret Mission. Prof. Murata's voice rang through the intercom, "Good work Agent Draco."

Draco gave her a 'V for Victory' sign before heading towards the door and getting out.

"What's my score?" he asked

"Well…take a look," Pluto punched in a few buttons, bringing up Draco's score.

It was 85 percent.

"WHAT?" Draco stared at disbelief, "That can't be right!"

Pluto tapped his gloved finger onto the console, "Numbers don't lie kid. Better luck next time."

Draco growled angrily.

"You were a little out of focus in the start, Ryuki," Shadowcobra pointed out, "Plus, your reaction time was less than perfect."

"Who asked you, Mr. Perfectionist?" Draco retorted.

Shadowcobra raised an eyebrow, "Just telling it like I see it."

"Well the next time I want your opinion," he huffed, "I'll beat it out of you!" he slowly stepped towards the exit, "I'm going to go out. Don't wait for me." The doors slid open and then slid shut after he stepped out.

The Titans and Prof. Murata were surprised at Draco's attitude. Jinx then spoke up, volunteering, "I'll go see what's wrong."

* * *

Draco opened up his card case and scanned through all of his Zodiac cards. Everything seemed in order and there wasn't anything amiss. He then noticed a single card in the back and pulled it out. He stared at the card and frowned.

The card depicted a picture of a long bodied Chinese dragon. However, it wasn't his Zodiac Beast, Dragonzer, the red dragon.

It was a black dragon.

The dragon hovered over a dark violet background with malicious crimson eyes. The name of the dragon was Dragblacker.

Draco shook his head disdainfully before putting the cards back into the case and snapping it shut. There was no way he was ever using Dragblacker not since…not since…

Not since that _incident… _

"Baby!" he heard Jinx call and he turned to face her.

"Hm?"

"What was all that about?" she demanded.

"I don't know what you mean," he feigned ignorance.

"You were acting like a big jerk and all because of some lousy score!" she clarified.

"I don't have to tell anyone anything," he grumbled.

Jinx narrowed her eyes and glared, "What about me?"

Draco turned his back to her. She was upset and he didn't want to face her like this, "What about you?" he countered, which was the worst mistake he could ever make.

"I'm your girlfriend! You're supposed to tell me if anything's wrong! Please!" she pleaded.

Draco shook his head, apologetically, "I'm sorry, Jinxy-chan." He got on his motorbike, "I…I just can't." he revved up the engine, "I need to go get some fresh air." He put on a red helmet and zoomed out of the vehicle hangar through the large tunnel that lead out into the open road. He did not see Jinx starting to cry.

* * *

Out on the road, Draco was riding his Crimson Dragracer through the streets like a bat out of hell. His only excuse was that he was trying to clear his head.

((What kind of an idiot are you?)) Yaminekoryu scolded. ((She was only trying to help!))

((I know that!)) Draco snapped. ((But coming back here…coming back brought back some really bad memories.))

((Tazuka right?)) Yaminekoryu asked. ((Your best friend?))

((I can't believe it's almost been 4 months since he died. That's why I left and decided to go to America. Too bad I couldn't stop myself from fighting and ended up joining the Teen Titans)) Draco sighed.

((Still, if you haven't, you wouldn't have broken up with Venus or met this Jinx girl, whom you love dearly)) Yaminekoryu continued ((You're just running away from your problems again.))

((You assume too much!)) Draco countered.

((Doesn't make it any less true…)) The demon spirit retorted.

((Still, I need to take a breather. So, leave me alone.))

((Very well, aibou.))

Draco zoomed through the streets, maneuvering smoothly through traffic as if it were nothing. It felt good to just ride his bike, he felt...free...

The reason that he had been mean was because he had the strangest feeling that something bad would happen, something to bring back the past…

* * *

At the Asylum, Asakura glared at his cell door menacingly. Being strapped to gurney was not comfortable, mind you, and with the added straight jacket and muzzle, his irritation was slowly growing.

Suddenly, the door flew open. The guards were roughly thrown into the room as well, with both of their necks were twisted in odd angles. Asakura watched this with sadistic glee and curiosity.

A muscular and tanned, Asian male, walked into the cell. Asakura immediately recognized him.

"Yoshido…" Asakura spoke slowly, "Sama…"

"I'm glad you remember me, my Knight of Scorpio," Yoshido smiled. He snapped his fingers and the straps holding Asakura immediately snapped apart. The psychopath messaged his sore joints. Not being able to move for so long took its toll on his body. He wanted so much to move freely now. Yoshido then materialized a black case in his hands with the emblem of Scorpio etched on the surface. Asakura knew, immediately, what it was:

His Zodiac Deck.

He grabbed it, greedily, and began laughing. Yoshido's parting words were, "Cause as much havoc as you wish, my Knight, and draw out the traitor and his friends, especially the one who put you here," before disappearing in a blink of an eye.

Asakura eyed his deck with menacing eyes. He licked his lips, "Time to die…Ryuki…" He raised his arm, clutching the deck tight and shouted, "ZODIAC FORCE! SCORPIO!"

He was immediately encased in a black suit of armor trimmed in red with a black bodysuit underneath. His helmet had six slits running horizontally over the eyes. In his hands was a battle scythe. He drew a card from his belt and slid it into his scythe, "Add Vent: Summoning Garuzak…"

* * *

(Later in the same day…)

Draco had returned and calmed down, somewhat. He walked into the lounge and turned on the TV. He was drinking a glass of milk as he flipped through the channels.

Click.

"Today we will be cooking the roast turkey in an alternative fashion. BURN BABY! BURN!"

Click.

"Today on Cartoon Network! The Return of Scooby…"

Click.

"Doh!"

Click

"And in today's news, psychotic criminal Takeshi Asakura has escaped from Tokyo Asylum for the Criminally Insane…"

Before Draco could change the channel, his eyes widened and he spat out all the milk when he heard the name.

"No…it can't be," he cringed in fear. "Asakura…"

He took out his communicator and screamed into it.

"GUYS! EMERGENCY! EMERGENCY!" He hollered.

* * *

The others immediately rushed in after they heard Draco shouting out an emergency.

"Alright, Draco," asked Shadow. "What is this about?"

"Yes, and why do you look so frightened?" asked Jinx.

"Guys…" Draco began hesitantly. "Today on the news a psychopath escaped from the Asylum."

"So?" asked Pluto.

"Yeah? What's the deal?" Blackfire added.

He looked at Pluto and Shadowcobra with a grim expression.

Draco answered, "It was Asakura."

The looks on Pluto and Shadowcobra's faces were of fear and disgust.

"Asakura…" Pluto muttered.

"Can't be," Shadowcobra's face was running with cold sweat.

"Draco?" Jinx asked, worried about Draco, "What's wrong sweetie?"

"Shadow? Are you okay?" Raven began asking her boyfriend.

"So he escaped from an Asylum. What's the big deal?" asked Blackfire.

"Asakura…is or was…Zodiac Knight Scorpios."

At this everyone grew silent. From experience, the name of a new Zodiac Knight would cause memories to reveal themselves. The grim expressions on the Knights' faces required explanation.

"Explain." was all Raven said.

"The first time we met Asakura was the worst experience I ever had. He held up a whole café hostage with a submachine gun and when the police arrived he killed everyone without mercy. Only a little girl and her mother survived. The other 20 people were not so lucky…" Draco began.

"Twenty people," Blackfire gasped.

"He is a total maniac devoid of a conscience. He killed his own parents, burned down the house. He even killed his own brother just because he didn't like him," Pluto added, "He even tried to kill the other Knights. He already claimed the lives of two before we were able to defeat him." Pluto shut his eyes, "One of them was a friend. Tazuka Mizuki…Zodiac Knight Jawz." he gritted his teeth.

Shadowcobra clenched his fists. "He has hurt so many people and just for his own sick enjoyment!" Tears fell from his eyes. "I thought when we disposed of his Zodiac Deck he would remain out of the way…"

All the Titans stared with mouth agape. They had met a few evil Knights like Copycat, the Gamemasters and Team Tartarus, but none of them sounded as evil and horrible as Asakura…Scorpios.

"If he's out that means he's got his hands on a new deck," Shadowcobra hissed, "Yoshido…"

"A new deck?" Raven questioned, "Is that even possible?"

"Aside from me, Scorpios was one of Yoshido's favorites," Shadowcobra spat out the name like it was a disease. "With him on the loose all the Zodiac Knights are in danger."

"And that means sooner or later he's gonna find us," Draco cringed in fear. He looked at the other Titans, "And you!"

"Why us?" asked Jinx

"As far as Scorpios is concerned, anyone related to or is a Zodiac Knight is a target for him!" yelled Draco.

"Hey! We can take him!" yelled Blackfire.

"This is not negotiable, Komand'r," hissed Shadowcobra.

"It's for your own safety," Pluto added.

"And because of that I have to take him down…now," said Draco, grimly.

Jinx stared at him, "You do mean, 'we' don't you?"

"No…" Draco shook his head and narrowed his emerald eyes, "Me…alone…"

"No," Shadowcobra crossed his arms, "I will not permit it."

Draco stood up and shouted, "Why not? He's going to go after ME anyway! It's better for me to take him down, on my own, since I did it the last time!"

"You almost got yourself killed the last time!" Shadowcobra reminded. Jinx cringed.

"We have to take him down…together," Pluto said, "That was what Tazuka would've wanted."

"How would you know what Tazuka would've wanted?" Draco countered. He fought back the tears.

"Pluto's right. If he's dangerous, we have to take him down together," Blackfire spoke up.

"Therefore…I do not want you to go after Scorpios alone. Do I make myself clear?" Shadowcobra asked. Draco didn't respond. "I said: Do I make myself clear?" Shadowcobra repeated.

"Yes…Sir…" Draco looked Shadowcobra in the eye and saluted, before walking out of the room. Shadow sighed.

"Draco really wants to take this Asakura down, doesn't he?" Raven asked.

"More that anything, Raven…" Shadowcobra said. "Asakura…Scorpios…scares Draco…"

Jinx watched the exit fearfully. Draco had always been slightly impulsive. She just hoped he didn't do anything stupid.

Suddenly, the alarms blared.

"EMERGENCY! EMERGENCY! UNAUTHORIZED VEHICLE EXITING THE PREMISES!"

The Titans knew who the culprit was.

"Draco…" Shadowcobra hissed.

The TV then came on, "We interrupt your regularly scheduled programming for this emergency news flash," the newscaster announced. The scene then shifted to a view of Tokyo and it was under attack, "A giant jet-like vehicle in the form of a large scorpion is attacking the city, causing massive panic and hysteria. The army had been summoned to subdue this threat but with very little success. We urge for all viewers to remain calm as-" Shadowcobra immediately shut the TV off. He then turned to his teammates and said Robin's famous catchphrase, "Titans, go."

* * *

Draco was atop a nearby building, mounted on his Jet Slinger, looking through the green lenses of his helmet. He spotted Asakura…**Scorpios**, flying in Garuzak, and causing major damage and havoc as he fired lasers and missiles at buildings. People were panicking and evacuating their homes as the evil Knight went on a rampage.

Draco's green lenses temporarily glowed red before he growled, "This is for Tazuka and all those others you killed, you monster." He aimed his Jet Slinger's grapple cannon straight at Scorpios and waited for the mad man to come into range. "Wait for it…" he told himself, preparing himself mentally. He waited for Scorpios to get closer and closer and close-

"NOW!" Draco launched the grappling hook. The cable wrapped tightly around the tail of Garuzak before the hook locked into place. Scorpios suddenly felt a slight jerk in his movement.

"What the?" the Sandman said in his cockpit as he checked his monitor. He soon found the source of the trouble. If anyone could see his face under that helmet, it would have a maniacal grin, rivaling the Joker's own, plastered on it. "So…the little dragon wants to play, does he? Well…" he pushed the throttle controls forward, "Let's play!" the rockets that had been built into Garuzak's back spat out a torrent of flames as the giant scorpion jet zoomed forwards. Draco gripped the steering wheels tightly.

"This is gonna be a bumpy ride, I just know it," The young Dragon Knight said to himself before being dragged through the air after Scorpios.

* * *

"Where's Draco?" Jinx asked, panicking as she leaned over Prof. Murata's shoulder to look at the monitors.

"Smart Brain's satellite is looking for him and…SUCCESS! We have a visual!" she pressed a button and a monitor showed Draco being dragged behind Garuzak.

"BABY!" Jinx exclaimed.

Prof. Murata spoke into the communications channel, "Shadow, Pluto, I've found him."

* * *

Shadowcobra was on the ground, racing on his Shadow Basher, with Pluto close behind on his Motor Majin. Both Knights were in their armors. Shadowcobra replied through the communicator on his bike, "Where?"

"He's in the air."

"Alright!" Shadowcobra switched to the Titans' frequency, "Raven, Blackfire! Draco's in the air after Scorpios!"

"But I thought Draco couldn't fly," Raven answered back.

"He can't. He has his Jet Slinger's grappling hook around Garuzak's tail and being dragged through the air."

* * *

"On it!" Raven finished.

"So, what's the situation?" Blackfire asked.

"Just look out for a big jet that looks like a scorpion and Draco being dragged after it." As soon as Raven had said this, both Garuzak and the Jet Slinger flew past them. "Speak of the devil. Let's go." Raven flew after the flying machines with Blackfire not far behind.

* * *

"Scorpios! Stop! You're under arrest!" Draco shouted out at the insane Zodiac Knight of Scorpio. Scorpios was in the cockpit of Garuzak and saw Draco on the monitor. He grinned sadistically and pressed a red button on the control panel.

"Bye, bye, Ryuki…" Scorpios said menacingly.

The tail of the Garuzak flipped over and aimed at Draco, firing red hot laser beams at the Dragon Knight. With expert reflexes, he maneuvered the Jet Slinger so that he would dodge each of the laser shots.

"Sir!" The Jet Slinger spoke, "Suggested immediate counter attack!"

Draco nodded. He locked on to his target and fired 16 heat seekers out of the sides of his Jet Slinger, 8 on each side. The missiles hit Garuzak dead on, causing a massive explosion in the engines.

Scorpios suffered a bit of turbulence and shook from the impact. He swore, "Damn Dragon! You want to play?" he grasped his controls firmly, "Let's play!" he pressed on to the turbo throttle and increased the speed of his vehicle.

Draco held on, helplessly, as he was being dragged after the Garuzak. He slammed into the sides of buildings in the process as Scorpios attempted to shake him off. Draco growled, "You ain't gonna get rid of me that easily, murderer!" He activated the 5 jet engines.

* * *

Meanwhile, Prof. Murata had assembled a small army of operatives to help go after Draco and Scorpios. The operatives, mainly ground troops and medics, immediately got into several humvees, medical trucks, and motorbikes. Jinx was wearing an SB operative jacket. She was mounted on a standard issue SB bike.

"Let's go!" Jinx commanded as she put on the helmet, leading the troops out of the SB secret hangar and into the streets. Prof. Murata watched them, praying for their safety.

* * *

Blackfire and Raven were having a hard time keeping track of Draco. They had lost him. Luckily, they had their communicators and were tracking him via his communicator's signal.

"That way," Raven pointed and flew in that direction, followed by Blackfire.

* * *

Draco narrowed his eyes. The Jet Slinger had sustained minimal damage but he was still okay and locked on Scorpios due to the grappling hook. He had only one shot; the photon cannon. He pressed in the command and activated the cannon. It began to charge up. Scorpios saw this and immediately fired with Garuzak's tail laser. The lasers shot into Draco, but he hung on stubbornly. His fingers were on the 'FIRE' button. He then seethed, "This is for Tazuka…you animal." He slammed his hand onto the button, firing the charged up photon beam right into the Garuzak.

Scorpios shook in his cockpit as various alerts rang around him. The back of his monster jet was smoking and the systems were all fried and damaged. They were going down, fast! Right in front of a building, I might add. Scorpios lost control and awaited impact.

The Jet Slinger and Garuzak smashed right into the building causing the top half to topple over…and collapse right on top of the two vehicles and the Zodiac Knights riding them.

* * *

"DRACO!" Jinx screamed, riding the SB-cycle and racing towards the scene. Both Shadow and Pluto followed after her on their ZX-Riders while Raven and Blackfire followed through the air.

Jinx was already at the scene and was digging through the rubble. Tears were streaming from her eyes as she picked up rock after rock. Her only wish was to see _him_ alright.

"Please be okay baby," she pleaded, sobbing. She continued to dig. "Please…please don't be…"

The other Titans arrived and decided to give her assistance as well as a dozen other Smart Brain operatives. Shadow tried to sense Draco, but got nothing. Raven used her powers to lift up several rocks and Blackfire was lifting stone after stone.

"Now would be a good time to have Terra here," Pluto spoke. He tried to sniff for Draco, "Where is he?"

"I found something!" an operative yelled out. Jinx was the first to react. She gasped. There, sticking out of the rubble was Draco's arm.

"QUICK! GET HIM OUT!" Shadowcobra yelled. The operatives obeyed and continued to lift the rest of the rubble, digging Draco out. They soon found him and he was neither in his armor nor in good shape. He was injured, badly.

He was also…not breathing, nor was his heart…beating…

"RYUKI! RYUKI!" Jinx screamed as she held onto her boyfriend's body. She put him down and then started to use CPR, pressing her hands on his chest in an attempt to restart his heart as she took deep breaths before pressing her mouth against Ryuki's, trying to get him to breath again. She then repeated the process before she checked for a heartbeat; still nothing. She started to cry for the only good thing that had ever happened to her was lost forever.

"Let me try!" Pluto yelled out as he rubbed his hands together, charging them up with his electricity. Jinx took a step back before Pluto pressed his hands onto the dragon Knight's chest. "CLEAR!" Electrical sparks flew as Draco's body starting twitching and shaking about in an erratic way. Pluto started the process again, "CLEAR!" Shadow, Blackfire, Jinx and Raven prayed that Draco would be alright. Pluto did it one last time, "CLEAR!" he bent down, pressing his ear on Draco's chest. His eyes widened before he stood back up, eyes closed, and head down. He muttered, "I'm sorry. He's gone."

Jinx let out a loud wail as she kneeled back down and cradled Draco's body against hers, "No baby! Please! Please come back!" she begged, crying out. Tears fell from her eyes.

"Jinx," Shadow got down next to her and placed a hand sympathetically on her shoulder, "There's nothing more we can do. He's gone."

Jinx glared at Shadow, but she knew it was true. Draco was gone…forever.

Or was he?

Draco's emerald eyes suddenly shot wide open as he gasped, taking in much needed air into his lungs. No one, but Shadow, noticed his eyes glow white for a second before reverting to their normal color. The rest of the Titans, as well as the SB operatives, looked on in shock. It was a miracle!

"RYUKI!" Jinx squealed happily as she hugged her Knight tightly. Draco had questioning look on his face. Everyone was crying. What the heck had happened?

"Guys?" Draco began to ask, "What's going on? And why do I hurt so much?" he winced. Jinx put him back gently on the ground, apologizing.

"Leo!" Pluto began, "You just came back from the dead!"

"I did?" Draco winced, "I think I broke a few bones."

The medics lifted Draco onto a stretcher before carrying him into one of the medical trucks. Jinx kissed him and said, "I was so scared." she then climbed into the truck before the doors closed. They were going to put Draco in the infirmary.

Shadow was about to suspend Draco from active duty due to his insubordination and undisciplined behavior, but decided that being stuck in bed was the same thing. It would take a few weeks, but Draco would heal. All Shadow had to worry about was telling Draco's mother that her son had almost died. That itself, believe it or not, was scarier than fighting Molock. The operatives continued to search for any signs of Scorpios. So far, there were none. It could be assumed that he had escaped from the crash.

"Well, he's okay," Blackfire stretched, "Let's go home."

"Hold on Komi," Pluto protested, "Scorpios could be still out there somewhere."

"Now we have two priorities: recapturing the Desert Stinger as well as tracking down Scorpios," Raven stated.

"Yes, I know," Shadow looked back at the moving medical truck. "Better not tell Draco that."

"You're not thinking of lying, are you?" Raven asked.

"You saw how Draco acted when he heard Scorpios was back. Injured or not, he would still want to go after him if he ever found out that Scorpios had survived."

"I agree with Shadow," Pluto continued, "Draco almost got himself killed today. If he ever found out that Scorpios was still out there…he may not come back to us."

Raven and Blackfire slowly nodded in agreement.

To Be Continued…

Draco finally shows his dark side. How will this affect them in the future? I'll keep you all posted.


	60. PT060: Fear of the Unknown

Part 60: Fear of the Unknown…

**The Titans…**

DT was in the air, using his bat armor and searching using his scanners to find any clues to lead them towards Renia and Terra. With him were Beast Boy, in the form of a hawk, and Starfire. On the ground, in the T-Car was Cyborg and flanking the white and blue automobile was a red motorcycle that was being ridden by Robin, the R-Cycle.

"Titans," Robin contacted everyone through his communicator and into theirs, "Split up. We can cover more ground that way."

Cyborg and Robin split up at the intersection, going in opposite directions, while DT, Beast Boy and Starfire took different directions. DT took north while Beast Boy took south and Starfire took west. The southern area was being checked upon by a flying drone that DT had built resembling a devilish looking robot with bat wings.

* * *

**Double-Trouble…**

DT checked his area and scanned the vicinity. No heat signatures nor bio signs of Terra and Renia were detected. He felt…scared. What if they didn't get to Terra and Renia in time? From what Robin had told him, Slade was a dangerous and unpredictable individual. There was no telling what it was capable of but they knew that Slade was one thing: evil.

DT had never known someone so evil…Or did he? The Deathtrons soldiers that had attacked the Tower seemed hell bent on capturing him. But why? All he heard from their mechanical voices was, "Recapture the prototype." Was he the prototype and a prototype to what. He shook his head. No time to get distracted by wandering thoughts. He had to find Renia and Terra, and fast!

* * *

**Beast Boy…**

Beast Boy began flying around the western sector in an erratic pattern. It was obvious that he was scared, scared…for Terra. The last time he had lost Terra it was to Slade and then it had been Slade's fault again. Now, Slade had her and Beast Boy would lose her…forever. No. The first time had been Slade's fault, but the second time wasn't.

It was Beast Boy's fault.

Beast Boy morphed back to his default form and began to cry

During Terra's betrayal those couple of years back, if he had still accepted her as a friend even after all that, she wouldn't have gone over to Slade willingly, they wouldn't have had to fight her, and she wouldn't have lost two years of her life encased in rock.

It was all Beast Boy's fault. It was because of Beast Boy she ran away, it was because of Beast Boy she had joined Slade, it was because of Beast Boy that she 'died'.

It was also because of Beast Boy that she had come back. That night, when she had betrayed them, she took him away from the Tower. Him. Why?

Because he loved her.

And he had rejected her.

And he had abandoned her.

And he had lost her…to Slade.

And now it was happening all over again. History was to repeat itself.

"Not today…" Beast Boy turned back into a hawk and began to fly over the city.

This time he wasn't going to abandon her; this time he was going to save her.

And Slade was going down…no matter what.

* * *

**Starfire**…

Starfire searched and asked around if anyone had seen Terra and Renia. So far no good. She was scared. She was afraid to lose friends and it seemed that her worst fear was coming to life. What was she to do?

Go look for them.

It had sounded so familiar. When was it? Oh yes, it was when the HIVE had ambushed them and they had lost Robin in the fight. She was so scared and angry at the same time. She feared the worst that day; could Robin be alive? Could he be dead? There was no telling, not knowing…and not knowing scared her. She had demanded the others to go look for him.

Fear of the unknown, fear of being lost…fear of loneliness.

She once had a talk with her beloved friend Shadow…he had told her that he often had nightmares. She would ask what the dreams were about. He would answer that the dreams were about being lost…and alone…

Starfire wasn't lost, but Terra and Renia were. They were in Slade's clutches. Her eyes glowed green. First Slade had preyed on Robin, then Terra, then Raven, and now Terra and Renia. When would he stop? When? Was there no stopping him?

* * *

**Robin…**

Robin raced through the streets, his wheels kicking up dirt. Slade had gone too far so many times. Slade had been the worst enemy the Titans had faced. He had attempted to destroy the city but that had been a test to get Robin to join his side. He had used the Boy Wonder's friends to do so. Then, Slade preyed on Terra and turned her against them, only for her to turn on the madman. What irony…Then he came back from the dead and preyed on Raven because of…because of the Prophecy…time was running out for Raven…and the world…Robin hadn't shared this bit of information with the Knights and was unsure if he should. Shadow obviously knew, judging by the fact that Raven opened up to him more…but why hadn't he told Draco and Pluto?

Back on track, Robin was not going to let Slade take away another teammate…that included Terra and Renia.

Slade was going to pay and Robin came to collect.

* * *

**Cyborg**…

Cyborg was in his T-Car, using the onboard radar and tracker to find Terra and Renia. Awhile back, Pluto had snuck into all of the Titans' rooms while they were asleep and implanted tracking chips to the back of their necks. Okay, that was unethical, but it was useful...but not now…something was jamming the signal and Cyborg grew frustrated.

He had grown fond of Renia and now she was in the clutches of Slade. Was he going to warp her mind? Cyborg had that unpleasant experience several times when he faced Blood. Thank goodness that mad cult leader wannabe was in the most secure prison there was. He wasn't going anywhere.

Now Renia, he had liked her when she helped fix his car using that Alchemy she used…she looked like a good addition to the team. Too bad she was a hothead and had a short temper to boot; Beast Boy learnt that the hard way. Cyborg had to remember to not antagonize her by mentioning her short stature the next time…If there was a next time.

* * *

**Terra…**

In her cell, Terra looked up hatefully and fearfully at the man-the monster that had plagued her nightmares since she was freed from her stony confines.

Slade…

Because of him, she had doubted the Titans.

Slade…

Because of him, she had turned against them.

Slade…

Because of him, she had lost Beast Boy.

Slade…

Because of him, she had lost two years of her life.

Slade…

And because of him, she was scare of what he had planned for her…and Renia.

Slade…

Please Titans…please hurry…

Slade…

To Be Continued…

ZK Chromedragozoid: Kinda shorter than my previous chapters, but the purpose of this chap is to show the Titans' fear of what could happen to Renia and Terra. I made a lot of references ranging from Seasons 1 through 4. Like, it don't like it, read and review it, kay?

And regarding Robin's identity in my universe, it's Tim since I've ignored the clues to him being Dick.

Of course in my AU fic that takes place after 'Things Change', Robin is Dick Grayson. Why? Just for the Hell of it.


	61. PT061: Contracts

Part 61: Contracts

Shadow was in his office with his face planted on the desktop groaning. Draco's latest act of disobedience and disregard had nearly exposed the existence of the Zodiac Knights to the general public. Sure, they knew that Draco, Pluto and Shadow were the local superheroes, but knowing of their identities as Zodiac Knights may lead to people finding out about the Mirror Dimension, and Shadow could not allow that, less he allowed the world to be plunged into chaos. Of course, he couldn't entirely pin the blame on Draco; Scorpios also had a hand in what had happened, injuring a lot of people and nearly killing a few. The Watchers could not do a thing since this was out of their jurisdiction.

Anyway, Draco had been taken to the infirmary and treated for his wounds. The physician, a Doctor Evans, diagnosed that Draco had broken his arms, his legs, had several cracked ribs, and had some bruising on his back and upper torso as well as needed several stitches on his head. Transferring Draco from the infirmary back to his house was easy; it was facing his mother that was the hard part.

_I'd rather be facing Molock again than facing Draco's mother like that…_

Draco's mother kept yelling in Shadow's face, telling him how irresponsible he was for allowing her only son to go off and get himself nearly killed. Shadow had a retort ready but when he saw Mrs. Hasuma's hands crackle with electrical energy, he knew that his role was to listen and not be heard. She had chewed him out for 30 minutes, yelling at him. The others listened in from behind the door of Mrs. Hasuma's study to know what was being said and flinched at the profanities she was using. Well, it did prove that Mrs. Hasuma deeply loved her child.

Jinx had never left Draco's side as he was moved from the infirmary to his room. His broken arms and legs were in casts while most of his body was bandaged up, including his forehead. His broken limbs were being supported by slings attached to metal poles placed at each corner of his bed.

Draco's classmates had heard that he got injured in a motorcycle accident and rushed over to visit, bringing gifts and cards to make him feel better. Jinx grew jealous from the attention the girls were giving Draco but the Dragon Knight smiled and shrugged them off. He was Jinx's and always will be.

Pluto, meanwhile, was fixing up the Jet Slinger with help from several of the technicians and mechanics. Parts needed to be replaced and the onboard AI had to be rebooted. All in all, the vehicle appeared to be fixable. Blackfire stayed with Pluto to help lift some of the heavy machinery and stuff like that. She was quite helpful.

Shadow's intercom beeped, interrupting his train of thought. He sat up and pressed the button before asking, "Yes?"

It was his secretary, "Sir, there are two people here who wish to speak with you."

"Send them in," he told her and the door of his office opened up. Entering were two women, one being greatly older than the other. The older of the two, probably in her 70s, had short pink hair and wrinkly skin and wearing a blue Chinese top over a white shirt and white baggy pants with black sandals. The much younger person beside her, a teenage girl (15) had blonde hair and wore a black dress with blue prayer beads around her neck. She also wore a red bandanna around her head. Ichijyo greeted them, "Good day, Genkai-san, Kyoyama-san." He stood up and bowed. The two bowed as well. "I'm glad that you've answered my call."

"If it's business with The Order, we can't really refuse," Genkai said to the CEO.

"Just make it quick," Anna crossed her arms.

"Please, take a seat first," Shadow conjured up a pair of chairs and the two women sat down in front of him. He then spoke, "You do know why I've called you two here, am I correct?"

"You wish for us to train another team of snot-nosed brats, right?" Genkai replied. Shadow smiled.

"Yes, and you two are perfect for the job of whipping them to shape."

"Is there a catch?" Anna asked.

"Well…no, not really." Shadow narrowed his eyes, "Just that you have two weeks to do it."

"Well, who will we be training?" Genkai inquired, "I swear if they're anything like that Urameshi boy I will…"

Shadow cut her off, "Not really…" Shadow pushed forward the file in front of the two, "Inside you'll find all that you need to know about your new…'trainees'."

Genkai opened the file and Anna looked over, raising an eyebrow.

"A dragon, a ghost, a super strong girl, and a robot?" Anna listed. She narrowed her eyes at Shadow, "Are you serious?"

"The Te Xuan Ze…I remember once a long time ago of someone bearing the title, a Jasmine Lee. This is her granddaughter, Juniper," Genkai smiled, "My, she's the spitting image of her grandmother at that age."

Anna snorted, "These are your new recruits? I've seen better."

"Even so…I think that these individuals have great potential…especially Jake and Danny," Ichijyo told them. His phone began to rang and Shadow said, "Excuse me," before picking it up. "Hello?"

"WHAT'S THE BIG IDEA?" yelled a female voice from the other end. The monitor of his computer showed the face of a pale girl with long blonde hair and neon green eyes. (The girl is Evangeline A.K. McDowell from Mahou Sensei Negima. Evangeline looks like a ten year old girl but she's really over 500.) Behind her was a humanoid robot with light green hair, an emotionless expression and long ear pieces (This is Chachamaru Karakuri, Evangeline's Ministra Magi.) On top of the robot's head was a girl puppet that had bat wings and short green hair (Chachazero).

"And good day to you too, Evangeline-san," Ichijyo replied back acting calm.

"Don't play coy with me, Mr. CEO!" Evangeline snarled, "I've been hearing that your company has been recruiting some very _special _individuals!"

"You must not believe such rumours…"

"What rumours? It's all over the network!" Evangeline had found out from her sources about Molock's attack. The network she was talking about was the one that reported about the supernatural world to members of the supernatural community. "What's next? The Charmed Ones? The Slayers? Those Guardians? The Mistress of the Sakura Cards?"

"Jealous?" Ichijyo smirked. The girl was far OLDER than she looked (500 yrs old) but still acted like a little brat. "Listen brat-"

"I am not a brat!" Evangeline countered defensively.

"Okay, HAG!" Ichijyo corrected while smirking and enjoying the look on Evangeline's scowling face, "You know that you can't leave the area of Mahora without special permission and, unfortunately, I cannot provide it."

"I thought you worked for The Order!"

"Not directly. I am merely representing my father here. I may have a lot of power but I'm no miracle worker, you know." He turned his attention to Chachamaru, "Please take care of her Chachamaru-san." The robot bowed.

"Hey, my master wants in! So you better let her, or else!" Chachazero shouted, but the little puppet's yells were ignored.

"And please say hello to Negi-kun for me and tell Setsuna-san to take care of Konoka-ojousama. Bye!" Ichijyo hung up.

"Hey wai-" the screen went blank.

"What was that all about?" Anna asked.

"Just an old friend of the family, that's all," Ichijyo replied. "Now then, do we have a deal?"

"How much are you paying?" Anna asked. "I don't work for free, you know." She still wasn't convinced and needed more persuasion. Ichijyo raised an eyebrow and pushed forward two contracts. The two women opened them up and read the contents.

"Is it satisfactory?" Ichijyo asked, "The contracts are legal for the next 2 weeks that you will use to train Team Mystic and the sum below shall be provided for you. Just sign on the dotted line." He added, "After the 2 weeks and if the results are satisfactory, you will receive your payment as stated. If not, then the contracts are null and void." The two women nodded in understanding.

"This is a lot of money," Genkai whistled.

"It's the most appropriate sum that matches your talents ladies. Now, do we have a deal?" Ichijyo smiled hopefully. The two women signed the contracts and Ichijyo nodded in satisfaction. "Just promise not to hurt them too much."

Anna and Genkai turned to stare at each other before replying.

"If they're as good as I've heard they can take my training. If they complain, I'll have to discipline them," Genkai stated.

"It's my way or the highway," Anna informed, "If I can treat my fiancé like that, what's a bunch of kids I don't know?" Anna continued, "And I will not be held responsible for any injuries they may suffer from my training."

"I wouldn't want anything less," Shadow extended his hand, "It was a pleasure doing business with you ladies." The women shook hands with him. Shadow then said, "A helicopter will be waiting for you on the roof, ready to take you to the training grounds."

The two women left Shadow's office. Shadow then took out another file from his desk and opened it up. Inside was a picture of an 18 year old girl wearing a yellow hat with short black hair and glasses. He then called up his secretary, "Miss Sakuragi, please set up an appointment for me with a Miss Dilia Daisy. Oh, and while you're at it, please check if a Mrs. Piper Halliwell Wyatt, a Miss Sakura Kinomoto, A Miss Sabrina Spellman and a Mister Rupert Giles are busy. Thank you."

"Yes sir. And sir, you have appointments with several representatives from W.O.O.H.P, The Centre, and Global Justice," the secretary informed him.

Shadow sighed, taking off his glasses and rubbing his eyes and temple, "Today is going to be a long day."

(W.O.O.H.P.-**W**orld **O**rganization **O**f **H**uman **P**rotection)

* * *

Back at the mansion, Jinx and Raven were talking in the living room over some herbal tea.

"So how's Draco doing?" Raven asked.

"Besides not being able to use his arms and legs, he's just dandy," Jinx replied, "And what about Shadow?"

"He's working himself to death," Raven sighed.

"Maybe he's trying to get what happened off his mind."

Raven shrugged, "Maybe…but I think it has something more to do with that Knight we were going after, the one that stole the Desert Stinger."

"I heard his name was Hunter or something. Has some beef against Smart Brain…and maybe a personal vendetta against Shadow," Jinx asked, "Have you asked him?"

"I've tried, but he won't answer and he hasn't returned my phone calls," Raven crossed her arms, "I'm worried."

"Me too…" Jinx agreed, "I'm worried about Ryuki too, like you worry about Ichijyo. I now know that Scorpios was the one that killed Tazuka."

"Tazuka was one of their team mates…"

"And Ryuki's best friend," Jinx paused, "No wonder Ryuki wants revenge."

"First the bike, then demon attacks, now this?" Raven rubbed her temples, "This is turning out more like work than a vacation." Raven picked up her cup and took a sip.

"Got that right. Now I can't go on a date with Ryuki until he's all healed up," Jinx pouted.

"I noticed those girls that came to visit Leo. They were his classmates?"

"Yeah," Jinx answered, "They came bearing gifts and get well cards."

"What did Leo's mother tell them? She can't just tell them it was because he was chasing after an evil Knight," Raven inquired.

"Motorcycle accident," Jinx stated, "That's our story and we're sticking to it." Jinx paused, "You know, I'm curious. What's going on back home? Have you checked?"

Raven shook her head, "Net really. I've been too caught up with all the insanity here to check. Let me see." Raven took out her communicator and attempted to call the other Titans, "Hello? Robin? Starfire? Beast Boy? Cyborg? Terra? Can you read me?" There was nothing but static, "That's strange."

"Maybe it's broken. Let me try," Jinx took out her communicator and attempted to call the Titans. There was nothing but static, "Okay, call me paranoid but I think something IS wrong."

"I think so too…something bad is happening back in Jump City…really bad…"

"But the other guys can handle it, right Raven? We are the Titans." Jinx winked

Raven sighed, "I guess you're right. I _hope_ you're right," she then sipped her tea.

* * *

In the repair bay where the Jet Slinger was being repaired, Pluto was hard at work. His attention was fully focused on fixing the ZX-Rider and making sure it was fully operational. Blackfire had become tired and went to rest in one of the lounges while Pluto continued his work.

"Wrench," he asked, not realizing he was alone. His extended hand began to glow blue, gathering the dog Knight's attention. He stared at his hand in shock as glowing blue orbs began moving up his hand and began to form into something. It was a wrench! He was now holding a wrench in his hand that just appeared out of thin air and glowing blue orbs. He blinked, "Okay…that's new." He pulled out his cell phone and began dialling. He then placed it to his ear, "Um, Ichijyo…you might wanna come down and see this."

* * *

In outer space, within his ship, Captain Magnus watched the monitors of his attempt to recapture DT. Unfortunately, the android army he had sent failed. At least he knew Double-Trouble was still alive. He seemed in thought.

"It seems that the prototype has activated his dual mode armor and his new comrades are quite formidable. Impressive." His lieutenant walked up to him and saluted.

"Sir, the special agents you've requested have already arrived." Magnus turned and in the doorway were the silhouettes of two individuals with large blade-like wings and glowing red visors in their helmets. Magnus went to acknowledge them. The light shone slightly on their chest-pieces to reveal the purple Deathtron emblems.

"Do not fail me," Magnus added, "Or else."

"We are the Deathtron H.A.W.K.S, Captain Magnus, we will not fail you," the two Deathtron agents said in unison.

(H.A.W.K.S.: **H**igh **A**ltitude **W**inged **K**iller **S**couts)

"See that you don't, Blackwing and Dreadwind…see that you don't."

* * *

In Titans East Tower, Steel City…

Bumblebee handed Liz a Teen Titans Communicator. The Pink Painter gazed at the round yellow, black and white device with a smile.

"Consider yourself one of the Titans East, girl," Bumblebee told her.

"Gee, thanks," Liz told them, smiling, "You won't regret this."

To Be Continued…

ZK Chromedragozoid:

There's an old saying: What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Well, with Anna and Genkai training them, Team Mystic will become unstoppable, if they don't get killed first. Looks like the nonobots inside Pluto just got activated…wonder what will happen from this sudden development? Again, all other characters in this fic that don't belong to me belong to their licensed creators and distributors. Please read and review and tell me which Knight from the list on my profile page should show up next. I'm happy to hear what you say. Also, check out my forum.

And another thing…EVERYONE WHO HAS REVIEWED ROCKS!

Ichijyo/Shadow is quite busy, isn't he? Just what are Smart Brain Corporation's true intentions? As CEO of the Tokyo branch, Shadow must have a lot of work to do handling all those people. Well, his work is easy compared to his father's who has to run the main HQ in England. However, Shadow must prefer field work from administration. By the way, Smart Brain Corporation was originally founded by Ichijyo's dad to take over Earth in the name of the Deathtrons. The Company now works with The Order like it has been for the last 2 decades, at least.

Looks like the Deathtrons are going to send some fliers after DT. Hopefully he can beat them so he can get back to looking for Renia and Terra.

By the way…seeing as I have several plots running about in my story, I'd like EVERYONE to tell me what to do for the next chapter. Should it be:

The Pink Painter with Titans East? The Mystery of DT? Searching for Renia and Terra? Draco VS Scorpios? Shadow VS Hunter? 

You decide! Thank you for your time and cooperation. (Muah!) I love you all!

The tone and plot of the story is getting quite dark, no? Well, from the title, I guess that's pretty much a given. Well…adios!

Hell, I wanted to say more, but this summarises everything.

Thanks Devan for the idea of The Order. Question: Is The Order higher up than the Powers That Be (Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel) and the Elders' Council (Charmed)? Just want to know, okay?

To Angel, thanx for sticking by me from the beginning.

IceFox, Renia has become quite popular and thanks for supplying her.

Only 39 chapters to go until I'm done with this fic and await the sequel and several prequels as well.

Originally, this was meant to just be a Teen Titans fic, but I might have to change it to Cartoon Crossovers. Well, it's all thanx to reviewers like yourselves whom have encouraged me all this time. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart.

I will not write how Team Mystic is training. I'm writing a separate fic that tells that, okay, with each chapter chronicling the training in the trainees point of view. First off is Danny as he tries to be a good leader.

Anyway…here's a preview of a prequel to keep you happy:

TE XUAN SEE

"SHARKHAN! UNIFICATION OVER SOUL!" Jawz shouted as he pushed the blue spirit energy ball into his chest, shocking Juniper. His body glowed with a blue aura as his voice became a growl. "Let's finish this beast off."

"Um…Monroe…what's going on?" June asked.

"Hold on Lassie," Monroe checked a book, "Ah hah! It says here that Zodiac Knights with psychic abilities can use Over Soul like Shamans to amalgamate themselves with their Zodiac Beasts." Monroe noticed the look on June's face, "Meaning that he and his monster are one."

"That is so COOL!" Ray-Ray shouted excitedly

"Well, let's kick it up a notch!" June pressed the crystal on her wrist band, "Activating T.X.Z armour!" the purple and silver suit covered June's body and the helmet and faceplate covered her head, letting only her eyes to be the only part visible. She stood next to Jawx. Jawz acknowledged her presence.

"Nice to see that you're all prepared," Tazuka admired, "Nice armor."

"My Ah-Mah said that I needed to practice, so let's practice!" June leapt up and punched the creature in the face, knocking it down. June admired her fist, "I feel…stronger."

"That's the armor, June," Monroe told her, "It quadruples the Te Xuan Ze's already formidable powers."

"That is SWEET!" Ray-Ray exclaimed.

"He's get easily excited, doesn't he?" Jawz inquired.

"You;ve got no idea….now come on!"

Jawz drew a card and slid it into his gauntlet, "Strike Vent: Shark Hammer." He grabbed onto the weapon, "Yes, let's!"

The Zodiac Knight of Pisces and the Juniper Lee rushed at the monster. June started with a flying kick into its stomach while Jawz followed up by swinging his hammer up and knocking the creature's head up.

"TSUNAMI SLICER!" Jawz summoned up a tidal wave that later shaped itself into a blade that slashed the creature in the chest.

That's all, and here's another one:

FINDING PHANTOM

Ichijyo stared at the large Casper High School building with narrowed eyes. Adjusting the strap of his backpack, he took in a deep breath. He looked to his left at his partners, "Ready?"

The boy with the orange hair nodded while the raven haired girl looked at the surrounding area apprehensively.

"The trace of supernatural energy is very high here," Rukia mentioned.

"No kidding," Ichigo agreed, "The atmosphere is really thick here."

Ichijyo nodded. Smart Brain's main HQ had sent orders to create an elite Superhero team and had given Ichijyo the names of the candidates. Ichijyo looked them over in earnest interest as he looked over their profiles. That was why Leo, Takada and Tazuka had been sent here to America with Ichijyo; to observe their targets in their natural environments. The operatives, Leo, Takada, Tazuka and Ichijyo, were allowed to seek help from others like the Spirit Detectives and the Shinigami of the Soul Society. Currently, Ichijyo was with two of the latter; Ichigo Kurosaki and Rukia Kuchiki. Ichijyo was dressed in his black school uniform while Ichigo and Rukia wore their grey uniforms

"Remember to keep your stories straight," Ichijyo reminded, "We all transferred here from Japan. Our names are Ichijyo Amakusa, Rukia Kuchiki and Ichigo Kurosaki."

Ruki continued, "We took part in an exchange program that will last for a month. Currently, we are living with one of your relatives."

Ichigo finished, "We've all known each other since we were kids and are best friends…"

"Very good," Ichijyo nodded.

"Amakusa-san," Rukia stated, "The only reason I'm going along with this is because, with the recent and multiple appearance of ghosts here, there is a possibility that one may descend into a Hollow."

"I understand," Ichijyo nodded, "That was why I asked you and Kurosaki-kun along."

Ichigo shrugged, "Whatever. Anything to get away from my insane dad."

"I understand the feeling of having an insane relative," Ichijyo replied. It was true though for Ichijyo that he had to live with several insane relatives back when he was younger, his sister being one of them. He tolerated them, but his patience did have its limits.

"By the way, why didn't you ask Ishida to come along?" Ichigo asked.

"Me and the Quincy have a…very complicated relationship."

"Well, what are you two waiting for?" Rukia asked, "Let's go."

The trio entered through the front doors, starting their mission.

"The first thing to do is to get our class schedules," Ichijyo pointed out, "It would be efficient if we all took the same classes as the target."

"Couldn't we just call him by his name?" Ichigo asked, "I mean we do know who it is." Rukia nodded in agreement.

"Still, we can't alert him. With his…condition…he possesses the ability to sense spirits, Shinigami included. So we should be on our guard."

"Why should we be scared?" Ichigo snorted, "No one's gonna see me as a Shinigami."

"I doubt that Ichigo," Rukia spoke up, "Because of the existence of the Ghost Portal here, plus the appearance of ghosts, a lot of people have been exposed to a lot of supernatural and paranormal energy."

"Meaning…?"

"They can all see ghosts, Shinigami included," Ichijyo and Rukia answered.

The trio then saw that a blonde with a crew cut was beating up a smaller form with messy black hair. The fight was one sided as the child didn't seem to giving much of a fight.

Ichigo had seen and heard enough to tell if someone was getting bullied and stepped in…quite literally. He punched him in the face

"You know where I come from that is how we deal with guys like you." Ichigo told the teen in the Letterman jacket whom was busy rubbing his cheek.

"Sticking up for losers like Fenton must mean you are one yourself." The child in the letterman told him rubbing the back of his head furiously before walking away.

"Thanks but that's normal for me." Said the kid as he got up and tidied himself up, "By the way, I'm-"

Guess who's the boy that Ichigo helped out.


	62. PT062: Rogue

Part 62: The Rogue

Terra hugged her knees to herself to remain warm. The dungeon cell was quite cold and dirty. She swore she saw a few rats looking at her and Renia like they were some sort of food or something. Speaking of the young alchemist, Renia still hadn't woken up. The effects of the drug used in Rose's blow dart must've really been strong to knock out Renia this long. Terra reached down and stroked Renia's hair. How many hours had gone by? Terra was unsure. She had lost her sense of time after the last several hours.

Wintergreen had came by and brought down food for her and Renia. Terra ate hers and kept Renia's food safe from the rats. Right now, Terra was scared, not just for her, but for Renia. What did Slade want Renia for? What was she planning to use her for? Could he have known about Renia's gifts and wished to use them to his own evil ends? These questions whirled around Terra's head like the cars in the Nascar circuit.

Terra knew that Slade was working for Trigon, a powerful demon lord and Raven's father. So…why did he need Renia? Was the little crystal alchemist a key to Slade and Trigon's plans or was she merely bait for the other Titans? Terra stroked her hair out of her face and hissed. The injuries were gone but she still felt where Copycat had her claws stuck in her head, and was trying to break Terra down physically, mentally and emotionally. Copycat had told Terra everything that brought her pain; her betrayal of the Titans and her betrayal of Slade…she told Terra that, no matter what, a traitor would always be a traitor…Terra began to cry. _Please guys…please rescue me…_

"Ah…Terra…how are you?" Slade asked. Terra looked up and glared at him after wiping her tears away.

"The Titans will be here and they're going to kick your ass from here to Hell and back!" Terra yelled out defiantly. Slade shook his head.

"Such language…maybe you should learn to keep that potty mouth shut," he took out a remote and pressed the button. Electricity crackled from Terra's collar, shocking her with torturous amounts of electricity. She screamed and then the screams died down after Slade lifted his finger from the button. "Have we learnt our lesson, Terra?"

"Kiss my ass!" she spat at his feet. His single eye narrowed as he pushed the button again, torturing her with the current. She doubled over in pain and fell to her knees

"It seems that living with the Titans has depraved you of the manners I'd taught you," Slade paused, "No matter. After some brainwashing and re-education, I think that will all be fixed." His gaze turned from Terra to Renia, "But first, maybe I should begin with your little friend there…"

At hearing the word 'little' Renia's eyes snapped open and she immediately sat up. She saw Terra on her knees and doubled over in pain. She then turned to see Slade on the other side of the cell holding a remote. She screamed, "YOU MOTHER FKING BASTARD!" she immediately grabbed the bars and tried to use her powers to turn them into crystal. She then realized that she couldn't.

"It seems that Terra isn't the only one with a dirty mouth," he lifted up the remote, "Maybe I should teach you…"

"STOP! Slade! Stop please!" Terra pleaded, "Don't hurt her! Please! I beg of you! Don't hurt Renia!" she cried.

"Terra…?" Renia went to help Terra up. Slade pocketed the remote.

"As you wish, former apprentice, but be warned that if anyone of you forgets your place, the consequences will be dire." Slade left the dungeon and the two prisoners alone.

"Terra?" Renia asked, "Are you okay? Who was that guy? Why can't I use my powers?"

"I'm fine…sorta...just felt like I was being fried from the inside. That guy, his name is Slade, and we can't use our powers because of these damn collars!" Terra answered all of Renia's questions. "Is that all you want to know?"

"What does he want with us?" Renia asked. Terra cringed.

"I think he wants me for revenge…and you I'm not so sure."

"Revenge? What for?"

"Well…throwing someone into an erupting volcano can get the other guy pretty ticked off," Terra said, half serious and half jokingly.

"You threw him into a volcano? An active volcano?" Renia asked skeptically, "How did he survive?"

"Don't know…don't care…" Terra said, "We gotta get out of here."

"But how? My powers don't work and neither do yours. I don't even wanna think what will happen if we try to get these collars off but I assume that we'll either be blown up or flashed fried Titans." Renia paused, "We're screwed, huh?"

"Pretty much," Terra told her, "We just gotta hold up until the others find us."

"If they find us," Renia retorted.

"Pray that they do." Terra pushed Renia's tray of food before her. "Here, eat up. You're gonna need your strength."

* * *

Robin had searched in all of Slade's previous lairs and still got nothing. The other Titans were also unsuccessful. Every minute they waste may just put Terra and Renia more and more in danger. They just HAD to find them.

Starfire had reported that she had found Terra's communicator near a sewer hole so she, Cyborg and Beast Boy went to check down there. Double-Trouble was in the air and using whatever radar system he had in his armor to track down their missing teammates.

Robin just hoped that they found them in time.

* * *

"Ugh! This place stinks!" Beast Boy held his nose after morphing from the form of a bloodhound. Behind him were Cyborg and Starfire. Starfire lit up a starbolt to light the way and Cyborg used his shouder flashlights as well to make it a little brighter.

"And I thought BB stank when he ate that double bean burrito!" Cyborg remarked.

"We must find our friends for I fear the worst!" Starfire said worriedly.

"I know Star…" Cyborg sighed, "I know…"

"Can't get a scent in here!" Beast Boy said, "It reeks!"

"But we gotta keep trying," Cyborg checked his tracker, "The chip's signal ended here before going dead, so this might just be a good place to start looking."

"Please don't say dead," Beast Boy shuddered. "I don't want to think about that."

"Let us move forward friends and find friend Terra and Renia," Starfire said as she led the way.

"Wait up Star!" Beast Boy ran after her followed by Cyborg.

They didn't know they were being watched as a head covered in a gold and silver helmet rose up from the sewer water before diving back down.

* * *

Slade watched from his monitor room and ordered, "Send Plasmus, Cinderblock and Overload, now."

"Got it father!" Grant was at the console and one 3 of the cylindrical tubes containing Plasmus, Overload and Cinderblock glowed brightly before the three disappeared. "Teleportation to designated coordinates has been successful."

"Let's see the Titans handle them and…is Atlas ready?" Slade asked.

"He is at full strength and totally obedient to us father," Grant turned in his chair and pulled up a screen containing information of their 'pet'.

"Hm…that just leaves Robin, and that new boy Double-Trouble to take care of." He called, "Rose!"

Rose appeared out of the shadows in her uniform, minus the mask, "Yes daddy?"

"I want you to take care of Robin. I don't want him ruining my plans," Slade explained to her. Rose tied on her bandanna mask and bowed.

"I will not fail you, daddy," and with that, Rose disappeared into the shadows.

"Grant," Slade told the, "I want you to take care of the little bit of 'trouble' we may encounter with Atlas."

"Very well, father!" Grant ran into the shadows right after taking out his Zodiac Deck. With all the pieces in place, there was no way the Titans would win. Like a strategic game of chess, all the opposing pieces shall fall into Slade's hands.

* * *

Robin rode on his R-Cycle through the warehouse district. This was the same place where Slade had used a fake machine to lure the Titans out. Robin remembered this place all too well. It was night and that just made things creepier.

Suddenly, a machete flew through the air and imbedded itself into Robin's front wheel. The vehicle whirled out of control and Robin jumped off, tumbling onto the ground. The R-Cycle smashed into the side of a warehouse and blew up. Robin frowned, "Great!" he took off his helmet, "Now what?"

"Now you die," Rose stepped out of the shadows. Robin jumped back to his feet and stared the female assassin down. He saw the emblem on her uniform and immediately knew to whom her loyalties lay.

"Who are you?" Robin asked.

"Oh…you can call me Ravager III," Rose told Robin, "One of the three Ravagers…"

"Ravagers?" Robin questioned.

"Yes. You see, daddy wants me to come here to stall you for a little bit…any way I can…" she drew out another machete and held it like a sword, "He never said I couldn't kill you while I was at it."

Robin was shocked when Ravager III had said 'daddy'. "You're…you're Slade's daughter?" he questioned, both shocked and confused.

"Well…daddy obviously didn't tell you. Maybe he should've being that you were his apprentice," Rose jeered. Robin growled and took out his Bo staff. "Did I just struck a nerve? Sorry!" she mocked apologized.

Robin went on the attack and leapt onto Rose and swung down his staff. Rose parried with her machete and then kicked Robin in the gut before grabbing onto his shirt and throwing him off his shoulder. He jumped back to his feet and swung down his staff from behind Rose. Rose ducked and whirled around to sweep Robin off his feet with a sweep kick before placing her foot on his chest and pointing the tip of her blade to his throat.

"Don't bother using any tricks on me, Robin. I can see your every move before you even make them!" Rose told him.

"Did you see this?" Robin activated his flash disk in front of Rose and it exploded, blinding the Ravager, the distraction he needed to push her leg away and roll out into a safe distance.

"Damn it!" Rose swore, "Where are you birdboy?" Rose screamed. Robin landed a punch across Rose's face and she slid across the ground, now without her machete. Robin picked up the blade and threw it into a nearby dumpster, before going on to attack Rose again.

He grabbed her collar and shouted, "Where is Slade!?"

Rose lifted both her feet and stomp kicked on Robin's chest, pushing him back. She then followed up with an open palm strike to his chest and a karate chop to his shoulder. He blocked her chop and then did a reverse spin kick into her side. She leapt over the kick and executed a heel kick, which Robin dodged by flipping out of the way. Rose landed gracefully onto her feet and leapt at Robin, using a flying kick that smashed into Robin's face. Robin fell onto his back and held his head in pain.

"My daddy has been teaching me his moves. I am going to take you down and bring your head to him on a silver platter!" Rose shouted as she ran at him. Robin took out his bolas and threw them at her feet, the bolas wrapping around them and tripping her. She tried to pull the bolas off but a second set tied around her, pinning her arms to her side. Rose yelled out obscenity as she squirmed. Robin got up and casually walked up to her, grabbing her collar and pulling her up to face him.

"Where is Slade? Talk!" Robin demanded. She spat in his face. This got Robin mad and he uncharacteristically slapped her across the face. "Talk! Tell me where Slade is!"

"Go to Hell!" Rose yelled out. Robin took out a birdarang.

"Don't think I won't use this."

"You're bluffing! You won't!" Rose yelled, scared.

"I will if I have to and when my friends are in danger. Now tell me!" Robin shouted. Rose opened her mouth to say something.

"LET HER GO TWEETY BIRD!" a female voice screeched as several cats suddenly ran up to Robin and tackled him to the ground, clawing and biting at him. A black shape jumped into the scene and went over to Rose. Rose could barely register her savior's appearance but could still see long black hair with a black bow ribbon on top.

"Copycat!" Rose yelled out happily. Kat kneeled down used her claws to cut Rose out. Rose then wrapped her arms around her lover. "Oh Kat! I was so scared and…"

"It's okay…" Copycat purred as she stroked the silver haired girl's back, "Let me handle this…"

"Kat…?" Rose began, "I thought you were supposed to be in bed…and hurt…now you're okay. How?"

"I heal fast," Copycat said simply.

"But how did you get out of the mansion without anyone noticing?" Rose asked. Copycat reached into her pocket and pulled out her Cat Deck. "But I took that!" Rose shouted.

"That was…a fake…" Copycat admitted, a little ashamed for deceiving Rose. "I'm sorry, but I needed my deck, okay!"

"I forgive you…" Rose said as she kissed her lover, "Just don't trick me again, okay?"

"No promises."

"Kat…"

"Okay! Okay!" she raised up her hand, "I promise!" of course, she had her other hand behind her back and had her fingers crossed.

Robin was able to fight off the cats and now had scratches and bites all over himself and his uniform. He struck and offensive pose. He eyed Copycat, who now wore an all black bodysuit with a whip tied around her waist that made it look like a cat's tail and on her face was a pair of red goggles. Robin could've sworn that Copycat looked almost like…like Draco…like a twin…Robin gasped. Could it be?

"Kat…is that you?" Robin asked. Rose gasped but Copycat raised an eyebrow.

"Took you long enough Tim," Kat pulled up her goggles. Staring back at Robin was none other than Draco's twin sister, Kat.

"But…but how? Does Draco know?" Robin asked, shocked and confused.

"Of course he does! He knew from the very start that I was working for Slade but didn't tell you!" Copycat grinned, "He follows the Code too well; one of them being that a Knight cannot reveal the identity of another Knight to outsiders."

Robin was flabbergasted. Draco knew. Draco knew! Draco knew and never told them!

Copycat pulled her goggles back down over her eyes and reached for her whip, untying it from her waist to reveal a silver utility belt with Slade's emblem on the buckle. She lashed her whip out and struck Robin across the face. Robin flinched.

"Come on! Give me some enticement here!" Copycat goaded on, "Don't let the fact that one of your friends' siblings is evil. I mean, you got Blackfire and she used to be evil!"

Robin gritted his teeth and gripped his staff tightly in his hands.

"You're going down…Kat…" Robin said growling. He then shouted and ran at Copycat, screaming like a mad man.

"Really, Tim?" Kat shouted, "Psychorogue! Grab him! Now!" A black blur suddenly leapt out and grabbed Robin, taking him down to the ground while pinning his arms behind his back and pushing Robin's head against the ground. "Meet my second monster, Psychorogue."

Psychorogue looked like something that came out of a horror film. It was a black humanoid wearing black metallic armor plating all over its body and several buckled straps on its arms, torso and legs. Its face looked like a metal hockey mask. Wires and cables stuck out of the back of its head and were connected to the base of its neck. Right now, it was holding Robin down with ease.

Copycat kneeled down, "How the mighty have fallen, huh Timothy? Well, how does it feel to be on the receiving end, bird boy?" her tone turned dangerous, "I should just tear your vocal cords right out and leave you hanging by your innards, right after I tear off your balls, for what you did to my beloved Ravager III." She stood up and kicked Robin in the face, "That should teach you. I should kill you now, but no. I think Slade-sama would like it better if I brought his former apprentice back alive…" she turned to Rose, who handed her one of her blow darts. Copycat kneeled down, "Say goodnight, Robin." She then stabbed the dart into Robin's neck, Robin let out a yelp before the drug slowly took affect. He was soon sound asleep. Psychorogue let go and Copycat flipped Robin over with her foot. She then tore his utility belt off as well as the R logo on his uniform. Satisfied, she turned to Rose and placed her hands on the assassin's shoulders. "Now…wanna do it?" she wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

"Maybe…" Rose traced a finger down Kat's cheek, "But first." She took the T-Com out of Robin's belt before dropping it to the ground. "Now…let's take Robin to daddy."

"I love the way you think," Kat smirked. She commanded, "Psychorogue! Carry the boy to Slade-sama's dungeon."

The monster nodded and threw the Boy Wonder over its shoulder.

Terra watched as Robin was thrown by Psychorogue into the cell next to hers and Copycat locked the door before twirling the keys around her finger. Copycat grinned maniacally at Terra. Renia was scared and hugged Terra.

Copycat said in a sing song voice, "3 down…4 to go…" before leaving the dungeon, cackling insanely. Renia put her hands to her ears to drown out the horrible sounds of Kat's laughter.

To Be Continued…

To Tanyeera: If this doesn't help you with your Copycat fix, I don't know what will.

ZK Chromedragozoid: Well, I'll be focusing more on how the Titans go and look for Terra and Renia and now Robin. Who's next? I think it's safe to assume who was in the sewers with BB, Cy, and Star.

Here are the talents of the members of Team Tartarus.

Grant Wilson/ZK ARMS/Ravager I: Engineer, mechanic, and weapons specialist.

Joey Wilson/ZK Scizzors/Ravager II: Espionage, infiltration and interrogation.

Rose Wilson/ZK Aqua/Ravager III: Assassination, infiltration.

Neko Katherine Hasuma/Copycat: Solo Army.

Tartarus, the ancient prison of the Titans in Greek Mythology…


	63. PT063: Possession

Part 63: Possession

Starfire, Beast Boy and Cyborg were still searching in the sewers. Starfire felt this sudden chill. Something was wrong and she knew it.

"Hey Star, what's wrong?" Cyborg asked, concerned for his alien friend.

"I do not know. However, I have this awful feeling that something has gone horribly wrong," she shivered.

"Maybe you have a sixth sense?" Beast Boy suggested.

"Like in that film about the boy whom could see the spirits of the departed?" Starfire asked, feeling slightly frightened.

"Not what I meant, Star," Beast Boy shook his head, "Your gut feeling."

"My gut?" she stared down at her stomach. Beast Boy slapped his face and slid his hand down.

"Just…never mind Starfire…" Cyborg chuckled. Suddenly, his red eye blinked.

"Hey guys! I got a lock on Terra's communicator!" Cyborg exclaimed. Beast Boy and Starfire's eyes widened before they cheered with glee.

"Dude! Then lead the way!" Beast Boy jumped up and down eagerly.

"Please, Cyborg, direct us to our captured comrades!" Starfire smiled, finally relieved that their mission was done.

"She's right in front of us!" Cyborg shouted, "Teen Titans! Go!"

The trio rushed forward, Beast Boy running ahead on all fours. They stopped as they reached…a dead end.

"Dude!" Beast Boy exclaimed, annoyed and angry, "You said you found Terra!"

"Something must be wrong with your scanners," Starfire said sadly as she kicked a pebble.

Cyborg scratched his head and looked at his scanners again, "I don't get it. I know that my scanners picked up on her signal. It still is."

Something suddenly dropped from the ceiling and in front of Beast Boy. He picked it up and gasped. It was Terra's Titans Communicator. There was also an eerie sound that followed, which strangely resembled…guitar music?

"I maybe going crazy…but did you guys hear that?" Beast Boy backed away to his friends.

"If you're crazy then your contagious," Cyborg replied, "I heard that too."

"It sounds similar to that of someone playing the Earth instrument known as a guitar…" Starfire listened and sighed, "Such a wonderful melody."

"But where is it coming from?' Cyborg looked around. All of a sudden, a hand smashed out through the wall next to him and grabbed him by the head.

"CYBORG!" Beast Boy and Starfire exclaimed, before the changeling got shot with a stream of familiar disgusting slime and Starfire got zapped by electricity. Cyborg pried himself out of the strong grip on his head and then his eyes widened.

"Cinderblock!" Cyborg shouted.

The large golem grunted and roared as he pounded his fists together. An oozing monster swam out of the sewage water and climbed up to join the golem.

"Plasmus!" Beast Boy exclaimed in disgust.

Overload then walked into the scene, glowing and crackling with electricity.

"Overload!" Starfire screamed, her eyes glowing green.

The monster trio all had Slade's emblem on their chests.

Cinderblock and Plasmus roared as Overload gloated, "Organic creatures will not stop Overload and friends!"

"We can and we will!" Starfire floated up.

"TITANS! GO!" Cyborg shouted and both sides charged at each other.

Plasmus spat out green slime that Beast Boy dodged. The green one saw the floor in front of him melting and stuck out his tongue, "Acid? Man this reeks!" he changed into a bull and rammed right through Plasmus, getting covered in slime and leaving a gaping hole in his stomach, which promptly refilled itself. Beast Boy reverted to human form, "Okay…okay…think…Plasmus is only like this when he's awake. He's human when he's asleep." An idea popped up in his head. Beast Boy then began singing…a lullaby? "Rock a bye Plasmus, in the treetop, when the wind blows the cradle will rock, when the bow breaks the cradle will fall and down will come Plasmus, cradle and all…" Plasmus roared in his face. "Didn't like the song, didja?" Beast Boy sweatdropped as he laughed nervously. Plasmus roared and took a swipe. Beast Boy morphed into a hummingbirg to avoid the hit.

"Hiyah!" Starfire shouted as she pelted Overload with starbolts, but the electrical beast cackled.

"Foolish alien girl! Overload is energy and green energy only fuels Overload with more!" to demonstrate, he fired an electrical blast that barely missed Starfire. She let out another yell begin blasting Overload with eyebeams and starbolts, pushing him back towards the water.

"I am not foolish, for I know your weakness!" she concentrated all of her energy and pushed with all her might, until Overload fell off the edge.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Overload thrashed in the water. And as well all know, water and electricity do not mix. With that, Overload short circuited and then reverted to his weakened and harmless state, "Overloaded…" he groaned.

Cyborg's fist met with Cinderblock's ugly mug. Cindreblock then countered with his own punch, which sent Cyborg dragging back. Cyborg cracked his neck and then attacked Cinderblock again, meeting hit upon hit. Both sides were nearly equal in strength, but only one would remain the victor. Cyborg then swung out his fist and punched so hard, that his fist got imbedded inside Cinderblock's chest. Cinderblock gaped at this and Cyborg grinned. He activated his sonic cannon and fired, at point blank range, sending Cinderblock flying before hitting a far wall and falling into unconsciousness. Cyborg whooped, "Booyah!"

Beast Boy was still having trouble as he was being chased around by Plasmus. Plasmus threw slime, ooze and acid at the changeling, but Beast Boy, as a cheetah, was able to dodge it all. '_Something's gotta put this guy to sleep…_' Beast Boy thought and then an idea popped into his head. He reverted to human form and pulled out a small cardboard box, which he threw into Plasmus' mouth. Plasmus swallowed. Plasmus continued to chase Beast Boy but was slowly slowing down as its run turned to strides and then his feet began moving slowly. Plasmus yawned before falling forward, passing out in a deep slumber, his ooze flowing away to reveal the human within. Beast Boy looked at himself proudly, "That sleeping powder was not money down the drain after all."

"We are victorious!" Starfire cheered.

"You can say that again Star!" Beast Boy grinned.

"We are victorious!" she repeated, cheerfully.

"No time to celebrate now, guys," Cyborg said to them, "Slade sent those guys after us, meaning we must be close and is trying to distract us."

"Which means we are getting close to our-" her speech was stopped by the sudden sound of guitar music.

"Okay…that is getting creepy…" Beast Boy looked around fearfully.

"Okay, whoever is there, come out right now!" Cyborg shouted, pointing his shoulder lights in all directions.

"Yes, let us enjoy your music in person," Starfire persuaded cheerfully.

Their demands were finally answered.

"You know, that is the nicest thing anyone has ever said about my music," a strange voice echoed. The three Titans heard the voice being accompanied by footsteps, meaning whoever had said that was walking. The sounds of footsteps became louder, coming closer to the three. Cyborg pinpointed the location and then pointed.

"You! Come out!" Cyborg commanded.

"As you wish…" the owner of the voice walked out of the shadows to reveal himself, causing the Titans to gasp with large eyes, "Surprised?" he was wearing gold and silver armor over a black bodysuit with matching silver gauntlets and boots. On his left arm was mounted a contraption which included a pair of sharp shears. His helmet was gold and covered his whole head and a small pair of horns came out from the top. On his chest was the symbol of Cancer and around his waist the belt and deck case, which further identified his identity.

It was Zodiac Knight Scizzors. He was holding an acoustics guitar and he was strumming it. He then said, "Greeting Titans."

"Dude! A Zodiac Knight!" Beast Boy exclaimed.

"He must have come to help us!" Starfire said cheerfully as she flew up to the newcomer.

Cyborg narrowed his eyes in suspicion. There was something off about this individual. He shouted, "Star! Wait! He could be hostile!"

But Star wasn't listening as she asked quickly, "Please tell me: What is your name? Where do you come from? What is your favorite color? And do you wish to be my friend?"

Scizzors replied, "Scizzors. That's spelled S-C-I-Z-Z-O-R-S. I come from Earth. My favorite color is yellow and…" he leaned forward, "Sorry, but the last one won't be possible." He put his guitar down. Starfire tilted her head in confusion. "Because I'm gonna kill you…" his eyes glowed green. Contact!

"Starfire! Get way from him!" Cyborg shouted. There was a short flash of green and Scizzors disappeared. Cyborg and Beast Boy blinked in confusion before running up to the stunned Tamaranean.

"Dudes, for a guy who wants to kill us, he sure didn't stick around to do it," Beast Boy said.

"Star, are you okay?" Cyborg placed a hand on Starfire's shoulder. She turned and her eyes were glowing with an eerie red glow as she grinned sinisterly.

"Never better," she then blasted Cyborg away with her starbolts. Beast Boy screamed.

"Star! What's the big idea?"

"Sorry," 'Starfire' chuckled, "But Starfire can't come to the phone right now. Would you like to leave a message?" She then fired her eyebeams at Beast Boy, whom turned into a hawk and flew up to dodge. He then morphed into a monkey and fell on Starfire's head. "Get off!" she shouted, "Get off me you stinking monkey!" Starfire grabbed Beast Boy by his monkey tail and hurled him away, Beast Boy morphed into human form next to Cyborg, who was back on his feet.

"Something's wrong with Star!" Beast Boy shouted, "It's like she's possessed."

Cyborg looked at his scanners and gasped, "You're not wrong Beast Boy! My scanners show me that there are two life signs inside Starfire!"

"Say what!"

"DIE!" Scizzors yelled as he piloted Starfire's body and used her starbolts on her teammates. Beast Boy and Cyborg dived into the water to avoid the hit. Scizzors floated above them. "Come out, come out, wherever you are…" he taunted. "You have to come up sometime…" he got his answer when a blue sonic beam fired out of the murky water and slammed right into him, smashing him into the ceiling before he fell onto the cold floor. Cyborg and Beast Boy got out of the water and Beast Boy stuck out his tongue in disgust."

"I'm so gonna need a bath after this," he mumbled. Cyborg grabbed 'Starfire' by the collar.

"Get yourself out of my friend!" Cyborg shouted. Scizzors grinned.

"Okay!" their eyes met. Contact. Starfire's body went limp in Cyborg's hands and Beast Boy ran up to him.

"Cy! You got her back to-" but his question got cut off as Cyborg knocked him out by slamming his fist down on Beast Boy's head. Beast Boy groaned in pain and in a dazed tone said, "Look at all the pretty stars…" before passing out. 'Cyborg' picked up Beast Boy and put him over his left shoulder while placing Starfire on his right shoulder. He activated Cyborg's arm communicator and called up Slade.

" Mission accomplished."

"Good, Joey…now come home," Slade said proudly.

"I will father," Cyborg's eyes flashed green as he grinned.

* * *

Robin was coming to and looked up to see Terra and Renia in the adjacent cell, "Terra! Renia!" he held his head and groaned. "Where are we?"

"Your new home," Slade said as he stood outside of Robin's cell, "A robin in a cage, how fitting for a songbird."

Robin launched himself forward and grabbed the bars, "Let us go, Slade! Now!"

"Why would I want to do that?" Slade replied tauntingly.

"Robin…you okay?" Terra asked.

"I'm okay," Robin answered. "Courtesy of a certain cat."

"Copycat?" Terra asked.

"And Draco's sister." Terra gasped at Robin's answer. Did he mean what she thought he meant? "Copycat is Draco's sister."

"No…I thought you said she was…nice."

"I thought so too. And the worst part is, Draco knew and never told us."

"WHAT?"

Slade found this amusing and decided to add fuel to the fire, "Copycat…Katherine has demonstrated herself to be quite the apprentice, unlike the two of you, my greatest failures."

"What did you do to her?" Robin demanded, gripping the cell bars.

"Nothing," Kat entered the dungeon, followed by Rose, "I came to him on my own free will."

"Don't you know what Slade is planning? The End of the World!" Robin shouted.

"The business with the Prophecy, right?" Kat rolled her eyes, "And that blackbird's daddy. Spare me, I know all about that."

"Then why do it?" Robin asked.

"Because, Robin, Copycat told me that Prophecies have loopholes, loopholes that can be manipulated and used for our own means." Slade continued, "You see, I don't want to destroy the world, I want to rule it. And if it means to work for Trigon to establish that goal, so be it."

"You can't be serious!" Renia spoke up, "Ending the world? That's crazy!"

"It is, but we don't want this world destroyed anymore than you do," Rose said, "And I think Raven's boyfriend will see to that."

"Shadow? What does he have to do with this?" Terra asked.

"Your dark snake friend has a secret as well as a Prophecy of his own. He is a half breed, not just any half breed, but the true physical embodiment of darkness and light," Slade explained, "He is THE Vampangel!"

"The WHAT?" Robin, Terra and Renia shouted.

Copycat clarified, "The Vampangel is a creature born from darkness and light. His father is a vampire, a creature of the night, while his mother is an angel, a creature of purity and light. Their union created the child that could tip the balance of power between the forces of good and evil." She snickered, "Ichijyo could keep this secret from my idiot brother and the mongrel, but not me."

"And I suspect that your friend, like Raven, possesses more power than he really knows," Rose added.

"The power to eliminate Trigon," Slade finished.

Robin, Terra and Renia sat in silence. So many lies and secrets were being revealed, and all in the same night. Robin then saw a hulking figure enter the dungeon. It was Cyborg.

"Cyborg! Get us out of here!" Terra shouted. She then noticed the look in Cyborg's eyes. "Cy?" she also saw that Cyborg was holding the unconscious bodies of Starfire and Beast Boy.

"Cyborg? What are you doing?" Robin asked in both disbelief and feeling betrayed. Cyborg opened the cell doors and threw Beast Boy and Starfire into it before locking it close. Cyborg turned to Robin and smiled before walking into another cell and then disabling his own power cell. Something then wisped out of Cyborg's body and became solid before locking the door close. Robin gasped. Scizzors had possessed Cyborg!

"Phase two complete, father," Scizzors bowed.

"Very good," Slade smiled under his mask, "Now it's Grant's turn."

To Be Continued…

Now DT's the only one left. However, Grant is not the only one after him.

**Zodiac Knight Scizzors **

Real Name: Joseph Wilson

Zodiac Sign: Cancer

Zodiac Power: Limbs can change into sharp and stabbing weapons (Axes, swords, etc)

Other powers: Can possess people through eye contact and telepathic communication.

Weakness: Mute and lacks much in proper combat training.

Zodiac Beast: Volcancer

Bio: Slade's second child and most often the most gentle. He is unable to speak because his throat was slashed so severely by his kidnappers and his vocal cords were not able to be saved. However, he has developed telepathic abilities allowing him to 'speak' into people's minds as well as possess another person's body through eye contact. Joseph, or Joey as he preferred, is the most gentle of Slade's kids and may change for the better. However, he is still loyal to his father and family. Kat treats him like a younger brother. He is in love with Erika Takada.


	64. PT064: Homunculus

Part 64: Homunculus

"Whether out of love or simple misplaced and foolish curiosity, human transmutation is attempted; that is the resurrection of the dead. Unfortunately, when the attempt backfires, a separate life is created. It is a life with body, mind, but devoid of a soul. This is how the damned are born! This is a Homunculus!"

* * *

DT was in his bat armor and flying over the city. He was also worried and worried he should be. He had lost contact with the other Titans several hours ago and had also lost track of them as they disappeared out of radar. DT had only one thought at the moment:

'_Slag._'

It was already very dark. DT had checked the time and it was already 15 minutes to midnight. Although with all the bright city lights, one could barely tell if it was still night at all. Nightclubs and bars were still open, contributing to the current amount of lights…and noise.

He didn't know how, but Double-Trouble knew his friends were in danger. When he had been told of Slade, something in his memory had clicked. Something about…Deathtrons

That insane catgirl had mentioned Sabretrons, which soundly oddly like Deathtrons. Why did these words sound so familiar to him?

Regardless, these questions were not of any relevance now. All that mattered NOW was saving the Titans.

Of course, he was so deep in thought that he did not realize a missile launcher was aimed right at him.

* * *

The rest of the Titans were coming to, all but Cyborg since his power cell had been disabled. Regardless, most of the Titans were awake and were wearing power inhibitor collars, except for Cyborg and Robin.

"I'm glad you ALL are awake, Titans," Slade said as he gazed at his prisoners. Kat, Rose and Joey were not present, obviously resting after their successful missions.

"What do you want Slade?" Robin asked venomously.

Beast Boy added, "If you're here to hurt Terra again I'll…" he growled.

"Patience Titans, all will be revealed soon enough," Slade said evenly, "What I want is already in my grasp," he turned to look at Renia, "_You_."

"Me?" Renia blinked. "Whatever for?" she then jumped to conclusion, "Okay, I know I'm cute and pretty, but THAT is just SICK!" she stuck her tongue out in disgust. "Plus you're WAY too old for me." The rest of the Titans sweatdropped and Slade couldn't help but have his single eye pop open as wide as a dinner plate. Renia had a really vivid imagination. Slade coughed, trying to get his bearings.

"My intentions are not of the…perverted kind, my dear…What I want is your knowledge of Alchemy."

Renia gasped, "How did you find that out?"

"I've been watching you Renia," Slade replied, "From the very beginning. You see child, you're not who you think you are…all that you know is a lie."

"My Alchemy is a lie?" she raised an eyebrow in confusion. Slade sighed, exasperated to how dense this girl was. Maybe letting her stay too long with the Titans wasn't a good idea.

"Except your Alchemy," he began to explain, "Your origins, my dear. I know your true origins."

"Do not attempt to pretend to know of our friend Renia's origins. She is our friend and nothing can change that!" Starfire yelled out, eyes glowing green, but that was all she could do with the inhibitor on.

Slade ignored Starfire and began his story, "There was once a pair of geneticists who also studied the history of Alchemy on the side. In an attempt to prove its authenticity, they lost the respect of their peers and became the laughing stock of the scientific community. Their research cost a lot of money and with their tarnished reputation, was unable to get funding from anyone. However, one day, a mysterious man came to offer them the money they needed and all they needed to do was to continue with their research. For years they searched until they found a notebook and diary belonging to an Edward Elric in Germany. The diary dated all the way back to World War 1 and before that, telling of a land known as Amestris, from where he came from. The diary told of his exploits and his adventures and his notebook…his notebook contained all the information they needed for their research on Alchemy. They applied what they learnt on small things, transmuting non living objects and what not. They never misused Alchemy since they read a rule known as the 'rule of equivalent exchange', where to create something, the equal amount of something else had to be sacrifices, and thus the rule of equivalent exchange. Soon, they decided to test out human transmutation. Rather than using an already dead person as a template, they decided to create a human through the science of genetics and Alchemy. They used their own DNA and various other ingredients for their experiment, but before they attempted to bring it to life through the use of Alchemy, they read an entry about the Philosopher's Stone. Without it, their creation would become imperfect. So, they spent a good couple of years trying to create an artificial Philosopher's Stone, and finally succeeded. They implanted the stone into the 'heart' of their creation before using Alchemy to bring it to life. They were successful, on the first attempt, a human created from Alchemy, a Homunculus. After the Homunculus was born, it was nothing but a blank slate. Therefore, they programmed in fake memories into its brain as well as some 'extra' information. Finally, the creation was whole. The scientist couple didn't see the Homunculus as an experiment anymore, but as their own child and loved it as their own. That is…until their unfortunate demise. The child was sent to a foster home where, for two years, it was abused and its life made a total hell. That was when it decided to bring its parents back to life with Alchemy as it had knowledge in the field from the programming. It attempted to do it but was caught by its guardian. The Homunculus became upset and that was when its supernatural abilities kicked in, turning everything around it, including the guardian, to solid crystal. In its attempt to recreate its parents, the Homunculus child created abominations and lost its right hand, which turned to crystal. It ran away, kicking over a candle. The flames grew and the house was burnt down. The Homunculus fended for itself for months until it came here," Slade leaned over, "My dear Renia…that Homunculus…was you."

Renis's eyes widened and her mouth was wide open. Her mouth quivered as she listened to the revelation. She was NOT human, she never was. She was just an experiment and nothing else, but a daughter to the scientists she knew as her parents. All her memories were a lie! Everything was a lie! She was not real! She grasped her head and shouted, hysterically, "No! It's not true! No!"

"Renia! Calm down!" Terra wrapped her arms around the younger girl before glaring at Slade, "You're lying!"

"My dear Terra, why would I stand to gain from lying. Deep down, young Renia knows it's true," he continued, "Don't you? Why don't you take off your right glove and show them that I am telling the truth?"

Renia stared at her gloved right hand and then up at Slade. She slowly began pulling at the fingers before quickly pulling the glove off her hand. The other Titans gasped.

Beast Boy: Dude! No wonder you hit so hard!

Robin: Oh my God!

Starfire: Oh my! Shiny!

Terra: ...

Renia's right hand was made of pure shining crystal. Slade sat back and watched the Titans' expressions with some amusement. Renia was a Homunculus and no matter how much she denied it, it was true.

And now she was his.

"Now child, I have a proposition for you," Slade said to her.

"Y…Yes…?" Renia asked, shaken from the revelation of her origins.

"I want you…to create for me…an army of Chimeras…"

Renis stared at her crystal hand and at the mark of Ouruborus (A winged serpent consuming its own tail) on her palm. It is the mark that further identifies her as a homunculus, a non-human created from Alchemy. Was this her purpose…to become Slade's servant?

Renia was silent. This was too much for her. What was she to do now?

Slade stood up, "Tell me when you're ready, Crystal Alchemist," and with that said, he left the dungeon.

Renia looked around and saw the Titans staring at her with a mixture of shock and pity. How could they understand what it felt to, not be born, but created? She wasn't human! She had no soul! Or did she?

She was not human. She was Homunculus…what did that mean for her? Did she even have a future?

She sat there, in the cell, wrapped within Terra's comforting embrace. It felt good…it felt…pleasant…she was tired and needed to sleep. She ignored the outside noise and curled up against Terra.

She soon fell asleep, not wanting to think about her fate…until it was her time…until it was too late…

Homunculus…a damned being created from Alchemy…what lay in her future?

Only destiny could answer that.

To Be Continued…

Disclaimer: All other characters belong to their licensed creators and distributors.

ZK Chromedragozoid: Didn't see that coming, did ya? Renia is a Homunculus! Wow! Well, explains a lot, don't it?

Will DT find them in time? Will Renia create the Chimeras for Slade? Will ARMS actually catch a break? All these and more will be answered soon.

Renia's bio:

Real Name: Renia

Other Alias: The Crystal Alchemist.

Power: Alchemy and Crystallization  
Mental Age: 13 yrs

Physical Age: 10 yrs.

Actual age: Unknown.

Race: Homunculus (Artificial human created through Alchemy)  
Looks: Long blond hair in braided ponytail and amber eyes

Bio: Renia is a bit shy but has a temper to boot. She had lost both her parents in a car accident 2 years ago and all she really wants is to have them back. Renia possesses the ability to perform Alchemy without the use of a transmutation circle. Renia looks up to all the Titans, especially Terra and Shadowcobra. She has a special power inside of her and when she gets upset, afraid or angry, anything and everything around her crystallizes on contact. Her favorite thing to do is singing. 

After Renia's parents died, she became an orphan and had to deal with a terrible guardian. She attempted to use Alchemy to bring her parents back. However, her guardian walked in and ruined her concentration. She got upset and accidentally turned him into a crystal statue, which shattered when she touched it. Her right hand also turned to solid crystal. She ran away and ended up in Jump City, subsequently meeting the Titans.

She is very sensitive about her height and will go ballistic if insulted or if her short stature is mentioned in any way.

Slade later reveals to Renia of her TRUE origins as her parents were really scientists whose research was being funded by Slade himself. Their job was to find the secrets of Alchemy as well as the secrets of the Philosopher's Stone. The two scientists succeeded in their research when they discovered the notebook and diary of Edward Elric, the famous state Alchemist. From his notes, they discovered the secret to transmuting substances. They also discovered that human transmutation was possible. As geneticists, they created a human through modern genetic science and Alchemy. This creation was the Homunculus, known as Renia. Upon her creation, she was programmed with fake memories and also the knowledge of Alchemy from the notebook and diary. They also implanted fake Philosopher's Stones into her heart to give her life. The memories had her think of the scientists as her parents and the two scientists couldn't help but see her as their daughter and loved her as such.

Her crystallizing powers are connected to the fact to her identity as a Homunculus. Homunculi were never meant to perform Alchemy, but Renia could since she was created based on living human DNA and not through crude human transmutation and the memory of a human who died. Because of the Philosopher's Stones in her as well as the Alchemic knowledge in her mind, she can perform Alchemy without the use of a transmutation circle. Also, her supernatural powers and her Alchemic abilities are linked, which would explain the presence of a transmutation circle whenever her powers activate.

Due to the memories in the notebook and diary, she has Ed's personality. She even looks like Ed that could be explained through genetic manipulation, though that is mere speculations. Since she is a Homunculus, the symbol of Ouruburus (a winged serpent consuming its own tail) rests on the palm of her crystal hand.


	65. PT065: Three Way or No Way

Part 65: Three Way or No Way

ARMS was on the ground and getting ready with his Giga Launcher aimed at the sky. Behind him was Atlas, now a robot forced to obey ARMS' and Slade's orders. ARMS' visor was flashing as he awaited for his targets arrival.

"C'mon newbie…come out so I can shoot you down…" ARMS mused eagerly. He then got sight of something black and purple in bat-like armor flying through the air. ARMS grinned under his helmet, "There you are…" he aimed his cannon high and opened fire, launching a rocket right at DT.

DT's radar went nuts and he saw a rocket coming right at him. He was able to dodge in a split second, allowing the rocket to harmlessly fly over him.

"DAMN IT!" ARMS shouted, dropping his weapon. Atlas snickered, "What are you laughing at?"

"You, human," Atlas continued to laugh.

"You should learn your place, Atlas," ARMS hand glowed as a magnetic field materialized. Atlas held his head in pain and screamed. ARMS put his hand down and stopped.

DT looked down and saw both ARMS and Atlas. He had downloaded the Titans' villains list and both of the two were on the list, at the top actually since it was in alphabetical order. DT also knew from the badges on ARMS and Atlas of to whom their allegiances lay.

Slade.

So…did anyone wonder what happened to that rocket? Well…

* * *

Blackwing and Dreadwind were both flying over the city. Blackwing wore black armor with a hawk-like design in his helmet and silvery edges on his wings. On his gauntlets were sharp curved blades. His brother and partner, Dreadwind, wore violet armor based on a condor with black edges on his wings. On his gauntlets, instead of blades, were photon blasters. He also had a larger photon cannon on his back.

"So…the prototype is in this city," Blackwing said depressingly, "How primitive."

"Regardless, brother Blackwing, we must search for the prototype and take him back to Captain Magnus…and get our payment right after," said Dreadwind.

"Well…the sooner the better," Blackwing snorted, "I hate being on a primitive planet for too long."

Dreadwind rolled his eyes under his helmet. His brother sure knew how to make every of their visits depressing. Of course, Blackwing was proud to be a member of the advanced Deathtron society. Being bounty hunters was actually Blackwing's idea and Dreadwind followed, wanting a life of adventure and getting paid for it. Later, their talents were recognized and they were recruited by the Deathtron forces. Dreadwind suddenly stopped his musing when his helmet beeped.

"Brother…?" Dreadwind began. However, Blackwing was still ranting on how primitive Earth was compared to their Planet Death of the Orion system to hear him. Dreadind groaned and tried again, this time louder, "BROTHER!"

"What?" Blackwing was shocked out of his rant.

"My scanners indicate something coming close and closing in fast to our position," Dreadwind said worriedly. Blackwing rolled his eyes and huffed.

"It must be some sort of primitive-"

KABOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!

Blackwing coughed out some smoke, "…Weapon…?" He coughed again and began growling. Dreadwind checked using his helmet.

"The smoke trail shall lead us to the culprit brother!" Dreadwind spoke up.

"Good…" Blackwing punched his fists together, "Because I'm going to give whoever did this a piece of my mind!"

"But the mission? The prototype?"

"Screw the mission!" Blackwing snapped, "Nobody shoots at the GREAT Blackwing of the Deathtron H.A.W.K.S and gets away with it! Not even some primitive apes!" Blackwing pointed to the ground, "LET'S GO DREADWIND!" before flying down.

Dreadwind groaned before following after his rather impulsive brother.

* * *

DT landed and activated his tank armor by crossing his bracelets, "You work for Slade, don't you?" DT asked.

ARMS drew his gun and shot at DT's feet. DT leapt to the side. "Answer your question, Titan?'

DT activated his wrist blasters and fired at ARMS' feet, "Yes it does! Now dance!"

ARMS leapt, kicked and just hopped around avoiding the laser blasts. Atlas just laughed. ARMS screamed, "What do you think you're doing? GET HIM!"

Atlas glared but then saw ARMS' hand flexing. With a growl, he charged at DT and shoulder tackled him, knocking him to the ground. ARMS stopped dancing and aimed his gun at DT, opening fire. DT rolled out of the way and shot back, firing with his wrist blasters and shoulder cannons. Atlas and ARMS fired back with their weapons as well.

DT gritted his teeth. This was not going anywhere for anyone. The more time he wasted here fighting ARMS and Atlas, the less time he had to rescue his friends. He had to find an alternative, a back up plan, anything!

'_Primus, what I wouldn't do for a miracle!_' DT prayed as he hid behind a car, using it as a shield as he shot at Atlas and ARMS.

ARMS grinned. He drew a card and slid it into his gun, "Add Vent: Summoning Gigataurus!" his robotic minotaur came out of the ground in a cloud of smoke and steam. Gigataurus pointed its weapons at the car and fired a cannon blast that knocked it and DT into the air. DT shifted into his bat armor almost immediately by crossing his bracelets and hovered in the air.

"Come back down here!" ARMS drew a card and slid it into his gun. "Shoot Vent: Giga Cannons!" his shoulder mounted plasma cannons attached themselves to ARMS before he shot plasma blasts at DT. DT effortlessly dodged the blasts and sent out laser blades at ARMS. ARMS drew a card and slid it into his gun, "Guard Vent: Giga Shield!" the metal shield appeared in his hand and he raised it up, blocking the blades. Atlas was not so lucky as he got cut in a few places, revealing circuits and wiring. "Well, don't just stand there, blast him!" ARMS shouted as he continued to fire at DT. Atlas grunted and activated his thermal blasters, firing at the air-born triple changer.

DT continued to taunt the two cronies as he dodged and flew around, avoiding the blasts. It seemed that as long as he remained in the air, he was untouchable.

ARMS saw this and dropped his shield, drawing a card right after and sliding it into his gun. "Fly Vent: Giga Pack!" a jetpack appeared on his back and he shot into the air, leaving a trail of smoke.

DT, shocked, was unable to dodge the punch aimed for his face. He got thrown out of the skies and onto the roof of a building. DT groaned and looked up, seeing ARMS powering up his shoulder cannons. ARMS grinned under his helmet, "Bye bye, Titan." His cannon barrels began to glow and he was ready to fire.

That is, if he wasn't shot down first.

A photon beam slammed into ARMS and he smashed into the ground, creating a crater. ARMS, enraged, looked up to see who had fired at him, "WHO DID THAT!"

"We did," Blackwing said as he hovered in the air with Dreadwind next to him. Dreadwind's cannons were smoking from their barrels. "That was for shooitng at us with your rocket, primitive ape!"

Dreadwind then saw DT. He ran a scan and gasped. He turned to his brother, "Brother! The prototype is in sight!"

"Well, you go get him while I handle the Earth ape in the green armor," Blackwing told him. Dreadwind knew how long and far his brother could keep grudges, so talking to him was a waste of breath and time. He slowly nodded and landed on the roof where DT was. When DT saw the symbol on Dreadwind's chest, he went into a defensive posture.

"What do you want?" DT demanded.

Dreadwind prepared his weapons, "You, prototype."

Blackwing landed on the ground and brandished his claws, "Let's get it on!"

ARMS shouted, "ATLAS! ATTACK!"

Atlas let out a roar and went to attack Blackwing. Blackwing just yawned.

"Pathetic." There was sudden flash and Blackwing was now behind Atlas. Blackwing looked over his shoulder, "Don't look back."

Atlas turned his head, but it suddenly fell off his shoulders. Various slash marks suddenly appeared all over his metallic body before he literally fell to pieces. Blackwing snorted, "Primitive Earthen junk!"

ARMS' jaw dropped before he regained his composure. He glanced at Gigataurus and smiled before drawing a card from his belt, "Bye bye, whoever you are…" he slid the card into his gun. He connected the barrel of his gun to the socket behind the robotic minotaur and Gigataurus' chest panel opened up to reveal its missiles bay as it raised up its cannons. The cannons in its shins swung down. All of its ammo was aimed at Blackwing. Blackwing tapped his foot and yawned as Gigataurus absorbed the energy around it.

"FINAL VENT: END OF THE WORLD!" the missiles, lasers and photon blasts flew out and around and towards Blackwing. Blackwing did not move an inch. A strange beeping sound got his attention. It was the power readout in his helmet. He pressed a button and his eyes widened under his helmet.

"By Vaiolangaizer," he gasped. He then said, "Slag."

The laser fire, missiles and photon blasts began pelting Blackwing and everything else relentlessly in a hail of ammunition.

Dreadwind was busy fighting DT when his power readout meter also beeped. He looked over his shoulder and saw his brother being blasted, "BROTHER!"

* * *

(Slade's Monitor Room)

Slade, Copycat, Aqua and Scizzors were watching what ARMS was doing.

"Why is he wasting his time?" Aqua questioned, "He should be going after the last Titan."

"He's getting rid of the competition," Copycat said, filing her claws, "Those Deathtron bounty hunters want the newbie too."

"Deathtrons…hm…" Slade rubbed his chin. "Interesting…"

"Thinking father…or scheming?" Scizzors asked.

"Those Deathtrons may prove useful," Slade mused, "Copycat, have you found anything strange orbiting around Earth's atmosphere?"

Copycat cracked her knuckles and flexed her fingers before she began typing vigorously. She was hacking into Smart Brain Corporation's Satellite. "There's a Deathtron warship orbiting Earth. It's using cloaking tech, so the JLU can't see or find it on their radars."

"So how come Smart Brain's satellite can?" Aqua asked.

"That's because Smart Brain's satellite is made out of Deathtron tech too," Copycat replied.

* * *

(Back at the battle…battles…whatever…)

DT watched as the smoke cleared, leaving traces of mindless destruction everywhere. Blacwing was lying in the middle of the street, his armor ruined and badly damaged. Dreadwind flew down and helped his brother up.

ARMS blew the smoke off the barrel of his gun. "Who's next?"

DT saw Atlas' deactivated and dismantled body and an idea popped up in his head. He slowly glided down in his bat armor and lanced down next to Atlas. He kneeled down and produced a spike from his wrist. He stabbed the spike into the Atlas' head and began to download all the information he needed. Dreadwind and ARMS were so busy distracting each other, firing at one another, to even notice. Once DT had finished downloading, he produced a bomb and attached it to Atlas' head. He then set it to go off in 5 minutes.

"Now to find the Titans," and with that, his wings spread out and he shot into the night's sky.

To Be Continued…

Well, while the H.A.W.K.S and ARMS are keeping each other busy, DT has found out where the Titans are being held. Can he save them in time? What of Renia? Well…you'll see…

**Zodiac Knight A.R.M.S. (Artillery Robotic Mercenary Soldier)**

Real Name: Grant Wilson

Zodiac Sign: Taurus

Zodiac Power: Magnetism.

Other powers: An expert marksman.

Weaknesses: Can become extremely obsessive and trigger happy.

Zodiac Beast: Gigataurus

Bio: ARMS is a member of Team Tartarus. He first appeared before the Titans after he had executed both Atlas and Overload for failure. He was then challenged by Pluto, Shadowcobra and Draco to a duel, which they lost.

ARMS is basically a trigger happy lunatic with enough ammunition to start World War 3. He loves the sounds of explosions a little too much. His armor protects him from the shocks and recoils of firing his weapons and he has a lot of them, ranging from plasma cannons, bazookas, cannons and rocket launchers. His primary weapon is the sub-machine gun, which he carries around and use as his card reader. He is annoyed by Copycat but respects her leadership skills. He just likes to annoy her and this always causes him to have her boot shoved up his ass.

Grant is the eldest son of Slade and is an expert marksman. He wishes to prove himself worthy to his father and he took on the Zodiac Powers of Taurus to do so. He has magnetic powers that allow him to manipulate metal.

ARMS' cards

Shoot Vent 1: Giga Launcher

Shoot Vent 2: Giga Cannons

Guard Vent: Giga Shield

Fly Vent: Giga Pack

Final Vent: End of the World


	66. PT066: Questions of Humanity

Part 66: Questions of Humanity

Homunculus…

A creature born of Alchemy.

Homunculus…

A creature with mind and body…

Homunculus…

A creature with no soul.

Homunculus…

Human transmutation is attempted and backfires.

Homunculus…

A damned creature is born.

Homunculus…

Not human.

Renia sat in a fetal position, hugging her knees to her chest. She had been thinking about what Slade said; about her origins and creating Chimeras for him, but mostly about her origins. He could be lying for all she cared, but somehow she knew that everything the masked man had said was all true. The truth was staring at her right in her face, or to be more specific in the palm of her hand.

It was true that she attempted to bring her 'parents' back to life through Alchemy and failed. She questioned as to why she didn't lose more based on the rules of equivalent exchange, while the answer was deep down inside of her. She was a Homunculus and to do what she did, she could ignore the rules for she came from the Gate and her powers came from there…she was not created in the image of a dead person, far from it, she was created through the fusion of Alchemy and modern genetic engineering. She wasn't even born, she was created, an experiment!

Was that all she was…an experiment to her 'parents'?

She stared at her crystal hand and muttered, "What am I?" Was she even alive at all?

Cyborg's electronic eye lit up as his backup power cell kicked in. He moaned and placed a hand on his head, "Ow…my achin head…" He saw that his team-mates were in separate cells next to his. He shouted out, "Yo! What happened?"

"Slade happened, that's what," Robin answered dejectedly.

"Slade's Team of Tartarus defeated us all," Starfire said sadly.

"Plus, you got possessed by a guy in a crab costume," Beast Boy added in a defeated tone.

Cyborg groaned, "Can this get any worse?"

"It can," Robin sighed, "Draco's sister, Kat, is Slade's newest apprentice."

"SAY WHAT?" Beast Boy and Cyborg exclaimed.

"The one that called me cute?" Beast Boy's jaw dropped.

"The one who said I was tall dark and handsome?" Cyborg's eyes widened.

Robin nodded, "The very same…and it gets better. Draco knew and never told us."

Starfire gasped and Cyborg and Beast Boy were silent. How could Draco keep this secret from them?

"You know, I did mean what I said boys," Kat said as she walked down the stairs, still clad in her Slade suit, minus the goggles. The boys and Terra glared at her while Starfire had a confused expression on her face.

"You look quite similar to our friend Draco," Starfire commented.

"Twins usually do, Kori Anders." Starfire gasped. Kat giggled, "Oh please, don't be surprised. It was painfully obvious of who you really were." She looked at the boys, starting with Robin, "Timothy Drake," then to Beast Boy, "Garfield Logan," and finally to Cyborg, "Victor Stone." Her attention went to Terra, "And Tara Markov. I would like to say that you did well in my mother's fashion show, my praises to you and Kori."

"Piss off," Terra spat. Kat's eyes narrowed but she decided to ignore Terra and went on to sitting on a chair nearby and propping her feet up on another chair.

"What do you want?" Robin asked venomously.

"Not much," Kat replied, inspecting her claws, "Just to hold something over my little brother. Imagine, while he's away, his friends get captured. Won't that give him an ego boost?" Her comment was dripping with cynicism.

"Why are you doing this?" Starfire asked.

"It's nothing personal…oh wait, it is. Remember when we first met and I used Jinx to lure my brother into a fight? Well, you all had to get in the way and hurt me…So, this is just simple payback."

"You nearly killed him and us, and all you care about is payback?" Robin raised his voice.

"Well, duh Tweety!" Kat laughed, "What else is there?"

"You're nuts!" Beast Boy yelled out.

"Hello…don't you know it by now?" Kat rolled her eyes.

Cyborg raised his arm and was about to ready his sonic cannon when Kat spoke up, "I wouldn't do that if I were you, Victor."

"And why not?" Cyborg activated his sonic cannon, but suddenly started sparking all over, his systems malfunctioning. "My systems! What the Hell!"

"You didn't think that Scizzors didn't do anything else while he was taking your body out on a joyride, did you? He had you rewire your own systems so that if you tried to activate your weapons or equipment, you'd get fried. Oh and don't even try to break the bars with your strength, they're made of pure adamantium." She began filing her claws, "It's just a matter of time…"

"A matter of time before what?" Terra asked, holding Renia.

"Sorry, blondie," Kat placed her finger to her lips, "It's a secret. Let's just say your Homunculus friend has something to do with it, besides the Chimeras of course." Renia had stiffened when Kat had said the word 'Homunculus'.

"You're going to use Chimeras to take over the city," Terra said. Kat laughed.

"Close but no cigar. No, it's not the city we want, not now," she spread her arms out, "It's the world we're after. First the city, then the entire United States, and then we'll expand to the entire world. Not you, nor the Justice League, can stop us!"

"You're insane!" Robin shouted out.

"I'd take that as a compliment," Kat bowed her head. She then received a call from Slade in the communicator in her ear.

"Katherine, please escort young Renia to me."

"Very well, Slade-sama," Kat replied obediently. She got out of her chair and went to the cell that Terra and Renia sharing. "Give her to me."

Terra held Renia to herself, "Over my dead body!"

"That can be arranged, Terra," Kat brandished her claws, "Want a demonstration?"

Terra stiffened, but then heard Renia whisper, "Let me go."

"Renia?" Terra asked. She felt Renia pull off Terra's arms away from her before stepping over to Kat. "Renia! Wait!"

"Smart choice, kid," Kat grinned as she opened the cage door and Renia walked out. Terra charged, but got pushed back by a kick from Kat. She crashed into the wall. Kat relocked the cell door and escorted Renia out. Renia turned to face the Titans with tearful eyes.

"I'm sorry guys…"

And with that, the two disappeared up the stairs.

"Yo, why does Slade want with Renia?" Cyborg asked. The Titans then relayed what Slade had told them and he gasped, "Renia…she's a…"

"A Homunculus was what Slade called her," Starfire said sadly.

"She wasn't born, but created through a fusion of modern genetic engineering and Alchemy," Robin added.

"And I think I know what's going on…she doesn't think she's human anymore," Terra finished.

"But she should know that that doesn't matter, right?" Cyborg asked.

"People can do crazy stuff when they're depressed Cy," Beast Boy sulked.

"She probably thinks she's nothing more than a freak…like I did."

"Well, we must teach her that she is not a freak and she is our friend! We must rescue her!" Starfire stood up triumphantly.

"But how Star?" Terra pointed to the collar on her neck, "With these power inhibitor collars on, we can't do a thing, plus Robin's utility belt is gone."

"How about the others?" Beast Boy asked, "The guys in Tokyo? Titans East?"

"All our communicators got stolen and Cyborg's systems are so messed up that using his equipment could kill him," Robin answered.

"So…we're doomed?" Beast Boy said dejectedly.

"No, we're not. DT is still out there and I think he can help."

"But he's gonna need a lot of help since Slade has his own team of Zodiac Knights backing him up," Terra said to Robin.

* * *

Kat arrived at the monitor room with Renia. Both Rose and Joey were watching the monitors. On one was ARMS fighting a few Deathtrons…and no DT!

"It seems Grant has lost his target," Slade said to Kat.

"Unbelievable…" Kat groaned, "He can beat three Zodiac Knights, but he can't even beat one Sabretron/Deathtron warrior…" Kat sighed. She looked up and noticed something on Atlas' head, "Wait a minute…" her eyes shot open, "CRAP!" She ran over to one of the microphones and screamed into it, "GRANT! THERE'S A BOMB ON ATLAS' HEAD! GET YOUR BUTT OUT OF THERE N-" There was an explosion before the screen turned to static. Kat sighed, "Well, I tried to warn him, but at least he went out with a bang and so did those Deathtrons…"

"He's not dead Kat," Rose looked at the monitor displaying ARMS' life signs. "See? He's still alive. He survived."

"Oh," Kat blinked, "Okay."

"Well now…Renia was it? Well, have you made your decision?" Slade asked the young Homunculus Alchemist.

Renia began, "I…I…" she was hesitant to her answer. She then started having flashbacks of her short time with the Titans: combat practice, shopping, eating pizza, playing video games… "…I…"

**KABOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!! **

The monitor room shook and Rose and Joey fell off their chairs.

"WHAT?" Slade shouted.

"I think we have some unwanted guests," Kat growled, taking out her Zodiac Deck and yelling to Rose and Joey, "Aqua, Scizzors, transform now!"

"ZODIAC FORCE! CAT!"

"ZODIAC FORCE! AQUARIUS!"

((ZODIAC FORCE! CANCER!))

* * *

Meanwhile, in the dungeons, a sudden explosion blasted a hole in the wall and who walked in was a sight for the Titans' sore eyes.

"Hey guys," DT smiled, clad in his Tank Armor. "Miss me?"

"DT!" the Titans exclaimed in unison. DT went to each and everyone one of the cells and broke the locks, freeing them. He went over to Cyborg and did a diagnostics.

"Cyborg, your systems are all…" DT began.

"I know," Cyborg groaned, "That crab kid messed it all up and I don't know if I can fix it."

"Let me help, turn around," DT opened up the panel in Cyborg's back and began to rewire the mechanical teen. "Done!"

"Thanks dawg."

"No problem, now for those power inhibitor collars." DT worked fast and now the collars were on the ground. "I think you may need this," DT handed Robin a spare utility belt. "I took the honors of adding some more gadgets."

"Thanks, Double-Trouble," Robin put the belt on. "Okay team, let's rescue Renia and get out of here!"

"The only place you're going is Hell, Titans!" Copycat snarled as she appeared with both Aqua and Scizzors by her side.

"TITANS! GO!" Robin commanded.

"TEAM TARTARUS! SEND THEM TO HELL!" Copycat roared.

* * *

Slade watched through one of the monitors, Renia did too. She had heard everything and now knew what had to be done.

To Be Continued…

Starfire and Double-Trouble VS Aqua

Robin and Terra VS Copycat

Cyborg and Beast Boy VS Scizzors

And our main event…

Renia VS Slade.

Stay tune to the exciting conclusion in…Part 67: Crystal Clarity


	67. PT067: Crystal Clarity

Part 67: Crystal Clarity

"HIYAAAAAAAAH!" Copycat roared as she charged at both Robin and Terra with her claws. Terra and Robin leapt out of the way of her vicious slash. Copycat's sharp claws got stuck in the wall behind them. She turned around and saw both Robin and Terra, armed and dangerous. Robin took out two Bo-staffs and handed one to Terra.

"Can you handle it?" Robin asked.

"A little rusty," Terra twirled the staff around, "But I think I can manage."

"Manage this!" Copycat pulled her claws out of the wall and turned to attack the two people who once held her position as Slade's apprentice. With incredible skill and agility, both former apprentices were able to block and parry each and every one of her violent claws slashes. Copycat grew more and more agitated and allowed her own attacks to grow careless and sloppy. The two Titans shattered her eyepieces with powerful jabs of their staffs, blinding the Cat Knight long enough so that they were able to sweep her off her feet, causing her to fall flat on her back. Copycat groaned and looked up only to see that both Terra and Robin had held her down by pushing the ends of the staffs down on her throat. She hissed in disgust.

"Had enough?" Robin asked.

"Not really…" Copycat purred and blasted them away with a pair of eyebeams.

Terra groaned, "Forgot that she could copy our powers."

Starfire and Double-Trouble were fighting the water wielding Aqua, who was armed with her primary weapons, a pair of steel fans with sharp edges. Though the Tamaranean princess and triple changer were able to fly (DT was in his bat armot), Aqua could jump high and move fast to land slashes on their bodies. Starfire had a deep cut on her arm and a bit of her top and skirt had been torn off. DT, of course, was protected by his armor and was able to counter Aqua's fan swipes with his wrist claws. The two got caught in a deadlock.

"Why don't you just quit while you're ahead?" Aqua said, her eyes narrowing behind the black V-shaped visor of her helmet.

"I was about to say the same to you," DT's wings spread out and folded over to reveal laser rifles at the joints. They fired two blasts of laser fire that shot at Aqua. Aqua created a water shield that diffracted the shots and they went over her head.

"Any other tricks?" Aqua challenged before kicking DT away and assuming a battle pose.

"Just the one," DT smirked behind his visor.

"HIYAH!" Starfire launched a starbolt that blasted Aqua off her feet and into the air. Aqua let out a scream as she was sent soaring, hit the ceiling, and came crashing down to the ground.

"ROSEY!" Copycat yelled as she threw Terra and Robin away and flew straight at her beloved. She helped her up, "Are you okay?"

Aqua held her head, "That hurt…"

"You two are gonna pay for that!" Copycat produced two starbolts and fired them in tandem with her eyebeams. Both DT and Starfire got hit. Starfire fell, but got caught in Robin's arms. She blushed.

"Thank you Robin."

"Don't mention it Star," he assured her, a tinge of pink spreading on his face as well.

"How sweet," Copycat purred.

"Let's finish them," Aqua spun her fans around.

"I do agree," Copycat took out her whip and lashed it.

Beast Boy and Cyborg were having trouble with Scizzors, whose hands had just turned into a sharp sword and axe. The Knight of Cancer was swinging his weapons around in an attempt to decapitate the bionic and changeling.

"Yikes!" Beast Boy avoided the slash by turning into a fly. Scizzors turned his axe into a steel sly swatter and began swiping at BB. Cyborg aimed his sonic cannon and fired a blue beam at Scizzors. The Knight saw this and shifted again, creating a hole in his body that allowed the beam to pass through harmlessly.

"That is sick," Beast Boy commented as he shifted back to human form.

"Yeah," Cyborg agreed, "Whatever you do, BB, don't look at his eyes. He took over my body when our eyes met."

"Gotcha!" Beast Boy saluted and turned into a bull. He charged at Scizzors. Scizzors stood stationary…right before he created a metal shield.

CLANG!

Beast Boy shifted to human form and held his head in pain. His footing was wobbly as he was disoriented from the hit. Scizzors turned his hands into swords again and swung his weapons to decapitate the green Titan. However, Cyborg caught the swords with his bare hands. Scizzors looked up at Cy.

"This is for taking my body out on a joyride!" Cyborg delivered a head butt into Scizzor's face and then let go of the Crab Knight's sword before using his fist to send the crab Knight flying.

SMASH!

The Knight of Cancer created an impression on the wall before he fell onto the cold hard floor of the dungeon. He got up and shook his head before drawing a card. He slid it into the gauntlet. "Strike Vent: Cancer Claw!" a giant crab claw equipped itself to Scizzors right arm. He clicked the claws and charged at the two Titans.

"BEAST BOY BLITZ!" Cyborg and Beast Boy shouted together before BB turned into an armadillo and loaded himself in Cy's sonic cannon. Cyborg then launched Beast Boy at Scizzors and the evil Knight got knocked up the head. The hit also removed Scizzor's helmet in the process, revealing Joey's face, with an exception of his eyes being covered up by a domino mask.

"Dude!" Beast Boy commented, "Nice muttonchops, but the afro is a bit 70's!"

Joey swept Beast Boy off his feet with a leg sweep and then flipped back onto his own feet, the crab claw clamped tightly on the changeling's neck. He was about to sever his head when he got shoulder tackled, hard, in the back by Cyborg. He got sent crashing to the ground, near his helmet. He picked it up and placed it over his head.

"Booyah!" Cyborg fired his sonic cannon. Scizzors was unable to dodge and got blasted back and through a wall.

* * *

Slade watched as the Titans and Team Tartarus fought. The Titans were gaining an advantage over his team of Knights. He tried contacting ARMS, but all he got was static. What had happened to that trigger-happy idiot?

Renia watched as the Titans fought too. The Titans still fought, no matter how bleak it was. They continued to fight…to hope…despite the odds. She balled her crystal hand and looked up at Slade with narrowed eyes.

She had come to a choice.

"Mr. Slade."

Slade turned to look at Renia when his name got called, "Yes?"

"About making those chimeras for you," Renia placed a hand on the console, "I've come to a decision."

"And what's that?" Slade had a feeling that he wasn't going to like this.

"I've decided," her eyes flashed mischievously, "No." as she said that, she began to crystallize the entire monitor room, starting from the console. The crystallization spread all over the console, the monitors, the floor, walls and ceilings. In an instant, the whole room had been either covered by or turned to crystal, "Sorry, Slade, but I think I'd rather stay with the Titans…my friends…"

* * *

The 3 members of Team Tartarus and the 6 Titans were facing each other down. Both sides had sustained a lot of damage and so did the dungeon. Copycat decided to finish this once and for all. She drew a card and slid it into her whip. "Final Vent!"

Psychorogue ran into the scene and began changing form, transforming into a speeding motorcycle. Copycat grinned and leapt up, landing on the motorized monster. She exclaimed, "PSYCHO SPIRAL!" the motorbike and its rider began to spin insanely like a charging spinning top, heading straight for the Titans. The force of Copycat's Final Vent would tear the Titans apart.

The Titans prepared themselves for the attack, but were not prepared for what happened next. The entire room got engulfed by shining crystal, the cells, the walls and also…the floor, and everyone knows how slippery crystal is.

Copycat's spinning turned uncontrollable and she then smashed into a crystal wall. She picked herself up and looked around in confusion and rage, "WHAT'S GOING ON?"

The Titans looked around and smiled. Robin said, "It seems that Renia made her choice."

"And I think it's time for us to take you down," Cyborg cracked his knuckled.

"And take you in," Beast Boy agreed.

"Bring it on!" Terra challenged.

"Agreed!" Starfire eyes and hands lit up.

"Well, we ain't afraid of you!" Copycat snarled, suddenly, the dungeons began to shake as the crystals started to crack and shatter.

Aqua shouted out, "Kat! The lair has become unstable! The crystals are too much for the foundation to support!"

Copycat hissed and growled. She pointed to the Titans, "This isn't over." She then shouted, "TEAM TARTARUS! RETREAT!" she and her partners ran out through the hole she made in the wall. The dungeon walls and ceiling began to crumble in a showed of crystal.

"Titans! Let's go and get Renia!" Robin commanded.

* * *

Both Slade and Renia glared at each other. Slade gripped his hands into fists, "You'll pay for that," he said dangerously. He then charged at Renia. Renia smirked. This was just what she wanted.

"And I was thinking you were smart," Renia stomped her foot down and a transmutation appeared. Its energy spread out and hit Slade. Slade was stopped frozen as sharp crystal formed around his legs.

"LET ME GO YOU LITTLE GIRL!" Slade roared. He fired several fireballs that missed Renia. He struggled, however, the crystallization spread.

When Slade had said 'little' he had sealed his own fate. Renia growled.

"NO WAY! ARGH!" Renia slammed her crystal fist to the ground and Slade immediately got entrapped in a large chunk of crystal, without any possibility of escape. She smiled in satisfaction. "Nobody calls me little."

The Titans crashed into the monitor room and found Renia and a trapped Slade. They were about to ask questions when another tremor shook the room.

"Ask questions later guys!" Renia shouted, "Move! Move! MOVE!"

"DO AS SHE SAYS! TITANS! MOVE!" Robin shouted.

"DON'T HAVE TO TELL ME TWICE!" Terra added.

The Titans ran out of the monitor room in quick haste as the now crystallized room crumbled in on itself. Slade was left to be buried under the mass of crystals.

* * *

(Titans Tower)

The Titans were back in the T-Tower. After their latest adventure, they deserved a little R & R. Robin, of course, was having a little talk with Renia.

"Renia, with the power vested in me," Robin said, holding out a communicator, "I now make you an official member of the Teen Titans."

Renia took the communicator and grinned, "Thanks."

"And despite everything we now know about you," Cyborg placed a hand on the girl's shoulder, "You're only as human as you feel." He placed another hand on his chest, "What makes you human is here…your heart."

"Thanks Cy."

"Let us celebrate!" Starfire shouted out happily.

"Yeah, we beat Slade," Terra smiled.

"What do you say to tofu waffles?" Beast Boy grinned. DT smiled at this while Cyborg blanched.

"How about we mix it around a bit?" Renia suggested, "After all, an adventure like that builds up quite an appetite."

"You're speaking my language girl," Cyborg grinned, already liking Renia.

"And by the way guys," Renia added, "Call me…the Crystal Alchemist."

* * *

(Slade's Mansion, Monitor Room)

"Did you find him?" Rose asked hopefully.

"We did," Kat said as she pushed in a large chunk of crystal that had Slade trapped inside. "Unfortunately, I tried to get him out, but this crystal is too hard." She knocked on it with the back of her hand to create emphasis.

((So now what?)) Joey asked.

"Does anyone have a jackhammer?" Kat smirked.

"Hey, where's Grant?" Rose asked, looking around. "We could use some of his explosives."

"You know, I've been wondering where that trigger happy idiot went," Kat said, "We could've used his help."

Speak of the devil.

One of the monitors came to life, showing Grant's face.

"Okay, where are you?" Kat asked dangerously, "And make it good."

"Guys! I've been abducted by aliens! You gotta help me!" he shouted out.

The three members of Team Tartarus blinked.

"Move over!" yelled a voice, whose owner pushed Grant out of the way, It was Capt. Magnus of the Deathtrons. "Greetings, Earthlings."

"Who are you and what do you want?" Kat asked with her arms crossed.

"You have information we want and we have someone you want," he pointed to Grant. "I suggest that we have a little talk. This friend of yours had told us that you seem to be having trouble with a certain Deathtron/Sabretron hybrid."

"Go on," Kat grew interested.

"How about an alliance?" Capt. Magnus suggested, "You see, our attempts to recapture the prototype using our soldiers met with failure due to a group of heroes called the 'Teen Titans'. It seems that we have a common enemy, so why not work together?"

"Interesting," she purred.

"So, what say you?"

The crystal with Slade inside exploded, sending crystal chunks flying all over the room. Slade stepped out, his body engulfed in a fiery aura.

"I say we have a deal," he said, "You may call me Slade."

"And I am Captain Magnus of the Deathtron Armada."

And thus was the beginning of an unholy alliance.

To Be Continued…

Two words: Uh-oh.


	68. PT068: Hunter and the Hunted

Part 68: Hunter and the Hunted

Ichijyo was in his office in Smart Brain Tokyo, looking over some reports or files to either reject several of the requests or authorized them. He had gotten a report from the financial department and read over the numbers…they were making far too much money. Normally, that would be good, but the company was so successful and profitable that the money they were making were far beyond expectations from last year's predictions. They were making a 50 percent profit this year from all the tech Smart Brain has been manufacturing, not just for the police but also for the general public. Some of the 'hush-hush' tech were kept safe under lock and key and made exclusively for the government. It wasn't fair that only America had the most advanced in defense weaponry.

Back to the topic at hand, Smart Brain was making too much money, meaning that they weren't spending as much for the raw material and parts for their products. This would affect the quality of their products.

Smart Brain manufactured items such as phones, motorbikes, cars, computers, digital cameras, and various other hi-tech gadgets the common man would want and need. Smart Brain had been making people's lives easier for years and since it was an international corporation, nobody was ignored. Smart Brain also provided jobs for people, reducing the numbers of the unemployed by allowing work at the factories.

Anyway, as he was looking over the financial reports, the young CEO of SBC Tokyo was thinking of another incident that happened less than a week ago.

It was about…Zodiac Knight Pluto…a.k.a Yoshiyuki Takada. Apparently, the super genius yet idiotic Mongrel Knight had accidentally ingested some experimental nanobots, which Prof. Murata had been working on for the last five years and had cost nearly millions of American dollars to develop until it could be at the final stage of perfection. Now, all that money went down the drain as the nanobots went down Takada's throats.

The nanobots were meant to revolutionize how micro surgery would be performed. The nanobots would have been used to help repair damaged tissue and to reconnect severed nerve endings. Cancer patients could have the cancer cells removed completely. No scalpels or any of the large and clumsy equipment, all that would be needed was to have the nanobots pre-programmed and injected into the patient's body and they would do the work. Now…that dream was gone, and all because Takada could not tell the difference between a beaker of water and a beaker of experimental nanobots. The beaker was also clearly labeled that even an idiot could see it. But alas…they were now inside Takada's stomach.

Well, not exactly.

It seemed that the nanobots had spread through Takada's bloodstream and were in every single one of his organs and tissues, cells even. Scans had shown that Takada was now a Nano-human. He was faster, stronger and even…well smarter if that was even possible. Also, the nanobots gave Takada the ability to generate any tools he needed, such as a wrench…or a laser cannon if need be.

It seemed that Takada always got new powers or discovered them through accident. Ichijyo…Shadow still couldn't tell if it was still a good idea to hire Takada. Yes, he was a genius, but he was so accident prone. Bad things never happened to Takada, but to his surroundings…he was a danger to the public. Draco may have been the pyrokinetic, but Takada was an even bigger fire hazard with all of his failed inventions and experiments. A sane person would've given up after the 100th failure, but Takada was anything but sane. He even rivaled Prof. Murata as the resident 'Mad Scientist', which what made her make him her apprentice. A match made in heaven (groans).

Despite the loss of the nanobots project, which would be set back for another 5 or 10 years, it seemed Smart Brain was still making a lot of money and gaining more profits by the day…

The question was on how to get rid of the extra profits. More profits meant more taxes and Ichijyo could not handle all the different types of taxes. Taxes meant more paperwork and Shadow absolutely, positively, extremely, loathed to do paperwork. He wasn't really keen on working in administrations, but someone had to do the job.

Shadow in fact loved to go out on the field, on missions, not behind a desk filing and signing paperwork. Documents needed to be signed, stamped and sealed. It was the same routine for him, except for the Mirror Monster attacks, which were getting rare as well. What he wouldn't do for some excitement right now.

One request was from Jinx to provide some work for two of her friends, Mammoth and Gizmo. Gizmo was a genius while Mammoth was…well…Mammoth. Brains and Brawn, those two were a match made in heaven. Anyway, he was contemplating it since the two had been criminals, but did help during that Gamemasters fiasco. He went over their specs, which Jinx had kept as references and was impressed. Their criminal records were vast, but their skills would be quite useful. Now was the matter of making sure they would remain loyal and would work for Smart Brain…maybe the Jump City branch? Gizmo could be in Research and Development and Mammoth…well it was either heavy lifting or security. Mammoth was quite intimidating and Smart Brain JC just might need his muscle to make sure that certain unwanted ones remained far away. He signed and stamped it, request authorized. He would call the boys up when they returned to JC.

He turned on his computer and scanned through his e-mail. He found some messages sent by the other Titans, mostly about what had happened the past week in jump City, including DT and Renia becoming official members of the Teen Titans. He also received an e-mail from his sister, who was Moon of Titans East, and that they had also received a new member. Hm…it seemed that things were doing OK in America…but not here, however. The Desert Stinger was still out there and so was the thief…Masaru…what was his motive and was it even personal? Kim and Ron had returned on the assignment after their brief excursion with Global Justice, involving another Doomsday Weapon being built by one Doctor Dementor…Team Possible had put a stop to that and quickly returned to helping Ichijyo finding the Desert Stinger and so far had nothing.

There was another e-mail from Danny. He and the newly formed Team Mystic were being tortured, I mean trained by Anna and Genkai at Smart Brain's secret training grounds. It was so secret that some recruits had gotten lost just trying to find the outhouse…that was just how secret it was. As Danny was in training, Valerie and Ryan were taking care of Amity Park from ghosts. The Box Ghost appeared the most, unfortunately, and kept getting his ectoplasmic butt kicked by the teenage ghost hunter and Vizard. Danny's parents were also helping out, now that they knew Danny's secret. Sam and Danny's secret about their feelings was also brought to light, bringing a smile to the Vampangel's face. At least Danny need not suffer the same that Ichijyo did when he lost Misha before he had the chance to tell her his true feelings…no one deserved that kind of pain and Danny needed a little bit more happiness and support now that he was leader of Team Mystic.

Another e-mail was from…Beast Boy…he had requested another moped. Ichijyo sighed. It seemed that even thought Beast Boy could fly, he still wanted a moped. With another sigh, he was about to answer when the secretary came in and gave him a file folder. "Arigato," he said to her and she bowed before leaving. He opened the folder and pulled out the papers inside. His eyes narrowed as his left eyebrow arched up.

The papers were plans and blueprints and an authorization form for the newest vehicle that Smart Brain was going to produce: mopeds. It seemed that Beast Boy would have his wish anyway. The new Smart Brain Corporation mopeds would be in assorted colors, primarily silver and black.

Of course, ONE of the blue prints was for a special type of moped. It was a fully functional AI equipped land vehicle with a grenade launcher, photon rifles and turbo jets. He looked down at the signature and groaned. The blueprints had been drawn up Takada.

It would seem that Beast Boy would get his moped anyway since Takada was going to use company resources and parts to build one for the green Titan. He was about to stamp it as rejected but then decided against it. Would it be smart to actually give Beast Boy a vehicle with that kind of power? Ichijyo was getting tired from all the nagging he heard from Beast Boy regarding a moped. He put down the rejection stamp and signed the authorization papers before stamping it with the company stamp. He put the papers back into the folder and asked his secretary to enter and have it immediately delivered to Takada. Authorization had been cleared.

He read through his e-mail message list and found one marked as 'I Challenge U'. He opened it up and his eyes widened. When his secretary entered to pick up the paperwork, Ichijyo got up and walked pass her.

"Please cancel all my appointments today…There's something I need to do," he told her briskly.

"Of course sir," the secretary said, "But, what shall I tell them?"

"Tell them I have something important to attend to."

He walked down the hall and all the workers bowed and greeted him. He merely nodded as he made his way into the elevator and pressed a button to go straight to the parking lot.

* * *

Ichijyo was in the Smart Brain executive parking lot. He walked over to a black and purple motorcycle with a sidecar attached. It was his ZX-Shadow Basher. He mounted the vehicle and put on the helmet. "If he wants me to see him at the plant, then I'm going there," he revved up the engine and rode out of the parking lot and towards his destination.

* * *

Raven was in her civilian clothes and was on her way to Ichijyo's office. They had a date this afternoon and they were going to have lunch in a Gothic café/Bookstore and also read some poetry together. She was about to open the door when the secretary, Miss Sakuragi, informed her, "Amakusa-san is not in, Roth-san." Miss Sakuragi was able to speak perfect English to avoid any confusion

Raven asked, "Where did he go?"

"That I don't know. He left rather abruptly several minutes ago. May I try to tell him of your arrival?"

"That won't be necessary," Raven assured her, taking out her T-Com. She flipped the communicator open and called up Ichijyo, "Ichijyo…where are you? Ichijyo?" but there was nothing but static. She flipped the viewing screen close and sighed. She asked permission, "Can I go in?"

"Well, I shouldn't be doing this…" Miss Sakuragi said hesitantly, "But since you are a friend of the chief, I think it would be okay."

"Thank you," Raven bowed, showing proper etiquette. She entered the office and closed the door behind her. She walked over to his desk and saw all the papers strewn over. "Maybe he just went out to get away from all this paperwork," she said to herself. She looked at the computer screen, which had a screensaver of a raven flapping its wings majestically. She blushed. She placed her hand on the mouse but pulled back when the screensaver disappeared to reveal Ichijyo's message list, "I shouldn't be looking at his e-mail, but what if…" she placed her hand on the mouse and then clicked on the last message he had read. Her eyes widened when she read the message. She rasped out, "No…"

* * *

Ichijyo wheeled slowly into the area and dismounted from his vehicle. He took off his helmet and placed it in the sidecar before calmly walked into the unmanned building as it was computerized. There were large metal structures. This was the water purification plant that cleaned and provided water to the whole city.

"Masaru…I know you're here," Ichijyo called out, "Show yourself!" he demanded. He did not get the answer in words, but in the form of an arrow shot at his feet. He looked up and saw Masaru up on one of the platforms with a crossbow aimed at him.

"Hello…abomination…" Masaru's greeting was laced with hatred, "I'm glad you were able to come. I thought you'd be too scared to come down here." Masaru was a boy about 15 years old with short brown hair and hazel eyes. He was clad in a red t-shirt with a black horse on it and black pants with white sneakers. The Desert Slinger was next to him. A quiver of arrows hung from his shoulder.

"I only came to retrieve what you stole, Masaru," Ichijyo said icily.

"This thing…" Masaru placed the hand on the bike, "You know…your unholy company makes very good stuff."

"My company is not unholy!" Ichijyo hissed.

"I know what you are, abomination, and you and your kind should not exist!"

"Oh, and what am I?"

"You're an evil monster…and you took my sister away…you took Misha away," Masaru spat out hatefully.

Ichijyo knew it would come to this. Masaru had always disliked Ichijyo since Masaru possessed the ability to sense demonic auras and found that Ichijyo's was not normal. He had found out and blamed the Vampangel for Misha's death. Maybe Ichijyo could set him straight.

"Masaru…Misha died of Leukemia…"

"LIES! ALL LIES! It was a demonic trick and you took her life away with your unholy powers!" Masaru reloaded the crossbow and aimed it at Ichijyo.

"And why would I do that?" Ichijyo retorted. How could Masaru even think that? Ichijyo had loved Misha.

"Because you're an evil abomination, no other reason," Masaru glared.

"I don't have any time for this," Ichijyo turned, "Not even getting the bike back is worth me listening to you rant all day."

"Well then...what about this?" Masaru shot an arrow at Ichijyo and the Vampangel turned and caught it with ease.

"Is that the best you got?" Ichijyo smirked, breaking the arrow in half.

"Not really…the arrow you just broke sealed your fate," Masaru grinned.

"Huh?" Ichijyo looked down at the broken arrow and saw a greenish powder spill out into the air. Ichijyo accidentally inhaled some of the powder and immediately felt like his lungs were burning. He kneeled down, roughly, clutching his death, gasping for hair. It was like he was having an asthmatic attack. "What (gasp) was (gasp) that?"

"Garlic powder, your weakness," Masaru explained, leaping off the platform and landing in front of Ichijyo. "Misha told me you were allergic, that it might even kill you."

Ichijyo gritted his teeth and attempted to right himself up. Of course, the garlic smell was overwhelming and he immediately fell to the ground again.

"I was hoping more of a challenge," Masaru loaded his crossbow, "But I guess this is better than nothing," he aimed his weapon at Ichijyo. "Bye bye, abomination." He fired.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!"

"Huh?" the arrow had stopped in mid flight by an aura of dark aura. Masaru looked up and saw the interloper; Raven.

Raven floated down, eyes glowing white and blue cloak spread out to reveal the dark leotard underneath. She stood between Masaru and Ichijyo, "Don't you dare hurt him."

Masaru sensed her aura and his eyes narrowed, "So, another abomination?" Raven flinched at the term, "So I can kill two birds with one stone then."

Raven looked over her shoulder and gasped when she saw Ichijyo's pathetic state. His skin was turning a sickly blue and the red Mark of Sin on his head was glowing erratically. She immediately kneeled down and rested his head on her lap.

"Ichijyo! What's wrong?" she had never seen him like this. Hell, he had never been sick since she met him and now it looked like he was having an asthmatic attack.

"Gar (gasp) Lic!" Garlic, no wonder. Ichijyo was allergic to garlic. The Titans had found out during a routine food fight and Beast Boy had accidentally thrown some garlic bread into the Snake Knight's mouth. Ichijyo was lying on the floor with his hands to his chest and throat. Luckily, he had a hypodermic needle that injected his medication into him to stop the attack.

She placed her hand over him and a blue glow washed over him. He began to relax and his hands went to his side. His breathing became more calm and normal…and his heart beat had slowed down. He gave her a soft smile and she returned it with her own smile. "Raven…" his calm voice then turned into a yell, "RAVEN!" Why? An arrow was sticking out of her stomach. She fell to the ground with a thud and he picked her up. He pulled the arrow out and healed the wound before…he looked up and glared at Masaru, "Why?"

"To cause you the pain you caused me and to eliminate your kind, monster," Masaru shot another arrow out but it was stopped in mid-flight by Ichijyo's telekinesis.

Ichijyo whistled and called, "Shadow Basher! Come here!" the AI equipped motorcycle wheeled into the area at the call of its rider. It wheeled up next to Ichijyo and then he placed the unconscious form of Raven in the sidecar. "Take her back to Draco's mansion," he told the bike.

"Affirmative," It answered before wheeling away and racing towards the street. Ichijyo now knew Masaru wasn't playing.

"You'll pay for that," Ichijyo hissed, taking out his Zodiac Deck. Masaru did the same as well. Masaru's deck had the symbol of Sagittarius.

"Let's go, abomination!"

"ZODIAC FORCE OF THE SNAKE!"

"ZODIAC FORCE OF SAGGITARIUS!"

And the battle was on.

Masaru's armor was designed like that of the Samurai's, with shoulder guards that covered his upper arms and leg protectors attached to the torso armor. His shoulder guards had spikes along its surface. The symbol of Sagittarius rested on the left side of his chest. His helmet was rounded and had a visor with 4 eye slots and a faceplate with 4 vertical slits. His card reader and primary weapon was a crossbow mounted on his left arm. His armor was the color of the Black Knights', black and red. "ZODIAC KNIGHT HUNTER!"

"ZODIAC KNIGHT SHADOWCOBRA!" Shadow announced in his purple and silver cobra armor. He summoned his Cobra Staff and then challenged Hunter, "By the Code of the Zodiac Knights, I, Zodiac Knight Shadowcobra, challenge you, Zodiac Knight Hunter, to a Zodiac Duel!"

"By the Code of the Zodiac Knights, I, Zodiac Knight Hunter, accept your challenge, Zodiac Knight Shadowcobra."

"DUEL!"

The Zodiac Duel barrier rose up and erected itself around the water purification plant. Now, until the duel was over, nothing was getting in or out.

"A fitting end, abomination, you shall die in a place of purification," Hunter said, activating his crossbow.

"Just shut up and fight."

To Be Continued…

**Zodiac Knight Hunter **

Real Name: Masaru Shirow

Zodiac Sign: Sagittarius

Zodiac Power: 6th Sense

Other Powers: Skills in shamanism and exorcism

Zodiac Beast: Cheiron

Bio: Masaru hates ALL demons, especially Shadowcobra. He has it in his mind that Shadow had killed his sister by draining her life force after finding out his identity as a Vampangel. Even though his sister died of Leukemia, he still sees it as demonic foul play and hates Shadow. He calls Shadow by the name 'Abomination' and swears to hunt him down and kill him. He believes that Shadow's existence is a mockery of God's work and swears to destroy him and others alike. He has trained himself for almost three years so that one day he could destroy Shadow. Yoshido saw great potential in Masaru and gave him the Sagitarius Deck and made him a member of the Black Knights Guild.

The Knights (Shadow, Draco and Pluto) first encountered him after he broke into the Smart Brain Corp top secret R and D lab and stole a prototype AI equipped, state of the art, fully armed, hybrid motorcycle known as the Desert Stinger.


	69. PT069: Sting of the Scorpion

Part 69: Sting of the Scorpion

Ryuki was stuck in bed and still bandaged up and in casts. Of course, he wasn't completely useless. He was using his telekinesis to feed himself breakfast, comprised of cereal and fresh orange juice. Usually Jinx would be feeding him, but she was at Smart Brain covering for him, training the new cadets in his place. Her HIVE training helped so the cadets, though may have looked down upon her at first, were soon proven wrong when she showed off her prowess in martial arts. She was, not surprisingly, a brutal trainer and the trainees soon learnt to fear and respect her.

It was 10.00 am and he was wondering one thing: how were the girls back in his old class? They were still preparing for the end of summer festival, which was a week and a half away. Wonder what was prepared for him?

He decided to watch some TV, so he telekinetically picked up the remote and turned on the TV. He gasped at what he saw. On the News, police and SWAT teams were surrounding his old school building. What was going on? The camera then panned to one of the windows and he gasped at what he saw…

"Asakura…"

* * *

(Half an hour previously…)

The girls of 3-B were vigorously preparing, not for the University entrance exams, but also for the upcoming end of summer festival. Ayase was in charge of everything.

"Okay girls, we've got a busy schedule so let's pick up the pace!"

"Okay, Ayase-san!" one girl answered.

There was a sudden knock on the door, near Ayase, "Now who could that be?" she went over to it and slid it open. In front of her was a man in his twenty's with messy bleach blonde hair and a scar over his nose. His amber eyes shone evilly. He was dressed in a bomber jacket with a furry collar and cuffs with no shirt and tight leather pants with snake skin boots. A chain hung from his belt loop. He also wore a pair of cut off gloves to finish the look. He grinned, sadistically.

"Yes?" she asked.

He said to her, "Do you know a Ryuki Hasuma by any chance?"

"Yeah, who wants to know?"

Asakura pulled a gun out of his pocket and pointed it at her head, "Me and my little friend."

* * *

(Present)

"I'm reporting live from Red Horse Institute in front of the High School building where escaped psychopath Takeshi Asakura is holding a class of girls hostage. The police are still asking for demands, but it seems that all Asakura wants is-"

Ryuki turned off the TV a growled. With his telekinesis, he shattered his casts off his arms and legs. They had been on for a week and his limbs were stiff.

He had to get himself un-stiffed to save his friends.

Ryuki got off his bed and took off his pajamas. He walked over to the closet and pulled the doors open, reaching inside for his uniform. He put his suit on and pulled out a suitcase and unsnapped the latches. "Time to end this once and for all," as he said this, he opened up the case and reached inside, "Never thought I'd be using this thing again." In his hand was a hi-tech blaster gun with the SB emblem on it. He put the weapon into a holster attached to his belt and sighed. He turned to the TV, watching the report on the hostage situation, "Don't worry, girls. I'm gonna save you." He then teleported in a pillar of flames. At that exact moment, Jinx had entered his room wheeling in a tray full of snacks.

"Ryuki-baby! I came back early so I can take care of you!" she said happily. She then gasped when she saw his bed empty and his casts torn off and on the ground with the rest of his bandages. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her communicator and flipped the viewing screen open, "I think we have a problem…"

* * *

Asakura was holding the girls of the classroom hostage at gunpoint. The police were outside and asking him for demands. He was not wasting his time for frivolous trinkets. All he wanted was to get even with Ryuki a.k.a Zodiac Knight Draco.

"He should be here any minute," Asakura grinned as he tapped his fingers on a desk before sitting on it. He waved the gun around, making several of the girls whimper. He absolutely loved hearing the sounds of girls whimpering, but he loved to hear their pain filled screams even more. He began saying in a sing song voice, "Come out, come out, wherever you are little dragon."

There was an old saying. What was it now? Ask and you shall receive? Yes, that was it.

A pillar of flames formed in the middle of the room, causing the girls to scream. Asakura raised his eyebrow, "So you came," he smirked, "Excellent."

Ryuki walked out of the flames, clad in his Smart Brain uniform. The girls all let out equal yells of shock and relief.

"It's Ryuki!"

"How'd he do that?"

"What is he wearing?"

"What is he doing here?"

"Ryuki-kun! Save us!"

Ryuki turned to the girls. He had forgotten to put on his goggles that hid his identity. Regardless, right now his identity was not important.

"I'm here, Asakura…let the girls go," Ryuki said to the psycho.

Asakura folded his arms together, "Okay…it's the least I could do." He yelled to the girls, "You girls! Get out! Now! Before I change my mind." The girls gratefully did as ordered and immediately ran out of the class. Ayase was the last one to leave.

"Ryuki-kun…" Ayase said pleadingly. He just gave her a reassuring smile.

"I'll be fine, Ayase-san. Don't worry." Ayase nodded and immediately evacuated with the other girls.

Asakura walked around, "Never thought you would come…after you broke nearly all the bones in your body."

Ryuki shrugged, "What can I say? I'm resilient," the Knight then drew out his DRA-Blaster and aimed it at Asakura, "Now, we can do this the easy way…or the hard way?"

(D.R.A.: **D**irect **R**esponse **A**rtillery)

Asakura aimed his gun at Ryuki. His finger was already against the trigger. "All I need is to pull this trigger and its lights out dragon boy."

"Same goes for you, Asakura…" Ryuki's finger was against the trigger of his blaster, which was still aimed at the psycho.

Asakura then withdrew his arm, "Or…we could do this another way…"

"What do you suggest?" Ryuki raised an eyebrow, slowly becoming interested.

Asakura pointed to his face, or more specifically the scar over his nose, "You gave me this scar…I want payback."

"Likewise, you…you killed Tazuka."

"Oh…still harping and crying over your dead friend? Please…he got what was coming," Asakura added, "You were supposed to die that day, but fish boy got in the way. Even so…" Asakura's eyes flashed blue, "I at least can see what comes next, huh?"

"Those were Tazuka's powers, he used them to earn a living," Ryuki growled, "You have no right."

"Well…let's make it right," Asakura grinned, "I, Zodiac Knight Scorpios, challenge you, Zodiac Knight Draco, to a Zodiac Duel, by the conditions set by the Code of the Zodiac Knights." Asakura had just issued a challenge to a Zodiac Duel, and as a Knight, Draco must accept.

"I, Zodiac Knight Draco, accept your challenge to a Zodiac Duel, Zodiac Knight Scorpios, by the Code of the Zodiac Knights."

"Well," Asakura took out his Zodiac Deck, "Let's do this."

"Last man standing," Ryuki took his deck out as well. "And it won't be you."

"Tough talk…nice!"

Both Ryuki and Asakura stood side by side and glared at each other. Their Zodiac Belts formed around their waists as they did the usual arm gestures.

"ZODIAC FORCE! DRAGON!"

"ZODIAC FORCE! SCORPIO!"

"HENSHIN!"

The armors slowly equipped themselves to the Knights' bodies through special energy fields that swept over their bodies. They stared at each other and leapt into a window, using one of the Mirror Portals to take them to their battle grounds.

* * *

Jinx saw the news report on TV and knew where Ryuki had gone. She pocketed the communicator and ran out of the room.

* * *

Two vehicles zoomed out of a window and skidded to a halt, arriving at their destination; an old recycling plant. One was a black and red Knightrider while the other one was Draco's ZX-Rider; the Jet Slinger.

"Nice bike," Scorpios complimented as he looked up at the large combat bike.

"Thanks," Draco replied, althought not really accepting the psycho's compliment.

"When you're dead, I think I'll take it," Scorpios took out his Scorpio Scythe.

"Over my dead body," Draco drew out his XL-Vent card.

"Like I said, I'll take it when you're dead," Scorpios rushed at Draco.

"XL-Vent! Excel Active!" Draco's Excel Suit came into existence and Draco drew out his DRA-Blaster, shooting at Scorpios. Scorpios used his scythe to smack the shots away before swiping down at Draco when he was in range. Draco dodged to the side and kneed Scorpios in the gut before shooting him point blank in the helmet. Scorpios was sent flying into several steel beams.

Scorpios stood up and dusted his armor off, "Never thought you to be the gun slinging type."

"It's been awhile, people change."

"Well, I have too," Scorpios slammed his hand onto the ground and created a fissure that headed right for Draco. The Dragon Knight leapt up as the fissure opened up a chasm under his feet. "Nice huh? Picked it up after I beat that goat guy."

"You stole those powers," Draco remarked.

"Come on, you didn't like Striker as much as the next guy!" Scorpios chuckled.

"He didn't deserve to die!"

"Well…he's dead and his power's mine!" he pulled several large boulders put of the concrete floor, "Let's play!" he threw the boulders at Draco. Draco dodged a few and the few that were too close were smashed by his fist. Scorpios whistled, "Wow. Super strength…Ox power?"

"None of your business!" Draco shot at Scorpios but the Scorpion Knight turned into whirlwind of sand and reformed in another spot.

"You should aim better," Scorpios jeered, "Like this!" he pulled out several stone spikes and sent them flying at Draco. Draco, in the confusion, got hit and screamed, as the spikes made dents in his armor and knocked his blaster away. Draco dropped his gun and hissed from the pain.

Scorpios reappeared in front of Draco and punched him across the face. Draco got sent falling to the ground. Scorpios picked him up and elbowed him in the back while at the same time kneeing him in the gut. He punched Draco repeatedly in the face and his body, cracking and denting his armor. He grabbed Draco by the throat.

"You're no fun!" he placed his hand on Draco's chest and the Knight got pushed back by a whirling storm of sand, smashing him into several aluminum cubes. "You're trash now and I came to recycle!"

"RECYCLE THIS!" Draco shout out a fireball at Scorpios, but he easily dodged to the side. Draco shot out several more fireballs, but the Knight of Scorpio dodged each one as he came closer. Draco heaved, trying to catch hid breath. Scorpios stared down at him.

"Face it kid, I can see what move you make before you even make it. A nice touch from your friend's powers, the fish boy," Scorpios chuckled. Draco roared and swung his fist at Scorpios' face, but his arm got grabbed by Scorpios. "Weak." He slashed his scythe down on Draco's shoulder, eliciting a scream from the Knight of Dragons, "Let's go for a ride!" he jumped up with Draco and pulled him onto a suspending platform that led to boiling vat of melted metal. The vat was so hot that Draco could feel the heat even though he was several feet away. Scorpios threw Draco away, but Draco was able to grab the edge of the platform. Scorpios walked forwards, kneeled down, and stared down at Draco.

"Just let go and all your troubles will be over," Scorpios said as he stood up and stomped on Draco's fingers. Draco gritted his teeth in pain.

"Why don't you?" Draco focused his telekinesis and levitated several aluminum cubes that flew at Scorpios and smashed him off the platform. Scorpios turned himself into sand to reappear safely on the ground. Draco grabbed onto the edge of the platform with his other hand before swinging and using his legs to kick at the bottom of the platform. He propelled himself back onto the platform before glaring down at Scorpios.

"You'll pay for that!" Scorpios cracked his neck.

"You first!" Draco drew a card and leapt down to face Scorpios, "You may have Tazuka's powers, but you forgot that I'm unpredictable!"

"And cocky!"

"Well, try this for cocky!" Draco slid the card into his gauntlet, now the Dragblaster. It was the Survivor Card, "SURVIVE!" a flash of red light erupted from his body.

"We'll see about that," Scorpios drew a card.

Draco was now clad in his Survivor Mode armor, ready for battle. He drew out a card and slid it into the back if his gun, "Sword Vent: Golden Dragon Blade!"

Scorpios slid the card into his scythe, "Add Vent: Summoning Garuzak!" the giant scorpion rose up from the ground and clicked its pincers. He pointed at Draco, "Finish him."

Garuzak swung down and swiped and slashed with its claws. Draco blocked and parried with his blade, backing away as the scorpion advanced on him. The scorpion then swung down its tail, its stinger poised to impale the Knight, but Draco was quick and leapt over the tail swipe. However, the scorpion revealed the cannons on its back and the laser blasters attached to the stinger. It let loose a fury of blasts that slammed into and engulfed Draco in a fury of laser fire. Draco let out a scream and smashed against the wall, his armor shattering in the process, reverting to his normal Zodiac Knight form.

* * *

Jinx rode on the Smart Brain motorcycle into the crowd collecting in front of the school building. She flashed her SB-Cell, identifying her as a Smart Brain (honorary) Operative. They let her in, knowing fully what Smart Brain was all about. The police and Smart Brain work side by side. The police field tested Smart Brain's gear and the police sent Smart Brain their 'best' cadets.

She saw Ayase and the rest of the girls and dismounted from her bike. She stalked over and grabbed the girl by her shoulders, spinning her around.

"Where's Ryuki?" Jinx asked.

* * *

"See, Dragon?" Scorpios mocked, "There's no was you can win."

"There is a way to win and it's in my deck!" Draco stared up at Garuzak and drew a card: Evolution Emperor. "I've never used this before," His eyes narrowed under his eyepieces, "But it's now or never!" he slid the card into his Dragauntlet. The gauntlet began to glow.

"**EVOLUTION!**"

All of his cards flew out of his deck and began spinning around his body, they spun faster and faster, his armor glowing bright, before the cards themselves flew into the armor, fusing with it.

Draco now stood in full suit of golden and crimson armor with an emblem on his chest showing the double dragon emblem. He now had a pair of golden Dragauntlets. His helmet had a visor shaped like a mask with ruby red eye pieces. The glow of the Excel Suit was evident from the red streams in his armor. He opened up his left hand and a large red hilted broadsword with a golden blade and dragon emblem materialized. The sword itself had a cross guard shaped like a pair of dragon wings and a dragonhead pommel. The sword was nearly 5 feet in length, including the hilt.

"ZODIAC KNIGHT DRACO: EMPEROR MODE!" Draco announced his new transformation.

Scorpios raised an eyebrow under his helmet, both amazed and impressed. "Wow, who knew the little dragon had some tricks?"

"Well, this little dragon is going to finish you once and for all!" Draco yelled back, gripping his Emperor Dragon Sword.

Scorpios commanded, "THAT'S WHAT YOU THINK! GARUZAK! DESTROY HIM!"

The giant bio-mechanical scorpion let out a screech as it swiped down with its tail stinger. The stinger came close to the Evolved Dragon Knight, but not close enough as Draco raised his arm and caught it in his hand. The Scorpion creature pushed down, but its tail did not budge and neither did Draco. Draco then went into spinning motion, taking the gigantic 10 foot tall and 40 foot long scorpion monster for a little spin, before letting go and sending it flying…right at Scorpios.

Scorpios turned into sand and avoided getting hit by his own monster. Scorpios reappeared in a tornado of sand and stood on a suspending platform.

Garuzak flipped itself back to its feet and charged at Draco. It swiped at the Dragon Knight, but Draco easily dodged the fury of swipes the Garuzak was dishing out. Draco, however, was able to land a few hits with his sword, leaving sizable dents and slash marks on the creature's metallic exo-skeleton.

Garuzak became fed up and unleashed the 15 cannons and missile launchers hidden in its back and fired off an amazing amount of ammo. The missiles and rockets were heading straight for Draco. At that moment, Draco's leg armor, formed by Overbite and Wildcat began to glow. The Knight rushed forward and slashed the missiles and rockets in half, causing them to detonate prematurely. It landed on Garuzak's back and with a mighty swing, slashed off the monster's tail.

Garuzak let out a furious screech as a greenish fluid, most definitely its blood or an equivalent to it, spewed out of the stump of its tail. Draco decided it was time to finish this.

He stood before Garuzak, sword glowing, his own body glowed as well to fuel power into the attack. He raised his sword over his head.

"Let's finish this," Draco, with a roar, swung the blade down and let fly a vertical arch of golden energy. The arch sped towards Garuzak and then sliced it in half. A huge explosion occurred as the flames and smoke spat out the demolished bits and pieces of Garuzak. The monstrous scorpion was no more.

Scorpios was shocked at the latest turn of events. In his premonition, he saw that there would be an explosion. Of course, he now understood that the explosion was the destruction of Garuzak.

It was time that he stepped up to the plate. He jumped off the platform, did a spin flip, and landed behind the Dragon Knight. Draco looked over his shoulder as Scorpios applauded.

"Impressive little boy. It seems that you're worthy to be my opponent after all," Scorpios complimented.

"I didn't come here to impress you," Draco slid the sword into a sheath on his back before turning around to face Scorpios, "I came to destroy you."

"Tough talk coming from a little kid who needs his friends to bail him out."

"I don't need my friends…not to deal with you that is…"

"Well…let's see if your bite is bigger than your growl, little dragon," Scorpios produced his battle scythe.

"Well…let's just see…" Draco's Dragblades popped out of his twin Dragauntlets, "Because only one of us is going to leave this place alive…"

The two Knights charged at each other and began their assaults. Sparks flew as the weapons clashed.

"Why not use that big sword of yours?" Scorpios inquired.

"You don't have the honor to be killed by it," Draco retorted before kicking at Scorpios. Scorpios turned into sand and flew around Draco, grabbing his Emperor Dragon Blade in the process before reappearing, holding the sword in his hands.

"Nice sword…but a bit big. I hope you're not over compensating." Draco growled at Scorpios' remark, "Well then…" he threw the sword away, "Now the real _fun_ begins." He activated the power of Capricorn and summoned up stone spikes to surround Draco. Draco, of course, smashed right through before swinging his Dragblades at Scorpios. Conceited as ever, Scorpios avoided the swings by turning into sand, while at the same time condescending Draco.

"Face it, little dragon. Without that fancy armor of yours, you're weak. Even with it you couldn't save that fish friend of yours…Jawz was it?"

"Shut up!" Draco swung the blades wildly at the sand specter.

"How can you save everyone when you can't even save yourself?"

"Shut up!"

"You know…when I'm done with you, maybe I'll have some fun with that little girlfriend of yours…the one with the pink hair."

"SHUT UP!" Draco roared and let loose a powerful flame attack that expanded from his body. The searing heat was so strong that even Scorpion was affected. He reverted back to physical form, but some parts of his armor had been melted into…glass!

"What did you…?" Scorpios began to demand as parts of his armor were now made of glass.

"Chemistry 101, Scorpios: What happens when you heat up sand rapidly?" Draco retracted the blades and pulled his sword back into his hands via telekinesis, "The answer: it melts and turns into glass!" he focused all his Combustion power and Super Strength into his sword. He shouted out, "EMPOWERMENT OF THE ZODIAC DRAGON! OX!" before sending out a powerful wave of power that hit Scorpios dead on. Scorpios was caught by the full force of the blast, his Zodiac Belt and Deck shattered, as well as his armor.

Scorpios was defeated.

The blast subsided, leaving an injured Asakura in its wake. Three energy orbs rose up from the defeated Black Knight, one blue, one black, and one yellow. The blue one held the symbol of Pisces, the black one of Scorpio and the yellow one of Capricorn.

Draco reached out with his hand, "I now take what I have won by the Code of the Zodiac Knights." The orbs flew straight at Draco and into his Zodiac Belt. The power surged through his body; now he had 5 different Zodiac Powers. He stared down at Asakura's immobile form and turned away, walking back to his Jet Slinger. His Emperor armor powered down, leaving him in his normal armor.

His revenge was complete and he was going to leave Scorpios to disappear forever in the Mirror Dimension with no regrets.

If only thing were truly that easy.

To be Continued…

**Zodiac Knight Scorpios **

Real Name: Takeshi "The Sandman" Asakura

Zodiac Sign: Scorpio

Zodiac Power: Control over sand. Can also morph self into sand

Other powers: None

Weaknesses: Mentally unstable and wild.

Zodiac Beasts: Garuzak

Bio: Scorpios is one of Yoshido's favorites and the other Knights' worst nightmare. He is totally devoid of a conscience and kills for the simple pleasure of it. He fights only because he enjoys it and has no real goal but to eliminate anyone who makes him mad or gets in his way. He has murdered countless people especially a couple of Zodiac Knights. Eventually, he was defeated by Draco, Pluto and Shadowcobra and had his deck destroyed. However, recently, he had escaped from the insane asylum, and with a totally new Zodiac Deck, which was probably given to him by Yoshido himself.

His Zodiac Power is that he is able to change himself into sand and can manipulate it as well.


	70. PT070: Mercy

Part 70: Mercy

Hunter shot out energy arrows from his crossbow, aimed directly at Shadowcobra. Shadowcobra was armed with both his Snake Coil Saber (Sword Vent) and Cobra Hood Shield (Guard Vent) and using both weapons to deflect and block the arrow shots.

"Why aren't you fighting back, Abomination?" Hunter demanded as he continued shooting.

Shadow thought sarcastically, '_Oh, I don't know…Maybe because you're Misha's little brother!'_ "I don't have any reason to fight you, Masaru, so don't try and make me!"

"Then I just have to try harder!" a blade popped out of Hunter's crossbow and he ran at Shadow. Shadow saw this and raised up his shield, only to have Hunter leap over him and land behind him and landing a slash across his back. Shadow let out a hiss of pain as sparks flew when the sword made contact with his armor. He turned and narrowed his eyes at Masaru.

"I will avenge my sister by killing you, Abomination. It is what Master Yoshido had said so that he will bring back my sister Misha!" Hunter promised. Shadow hissed.

'_Yoshido__ So he's behind this!'_ "Listen to me, Masaru! You're being manipulated. Yoshido does not care about you!" Shadow explained.

"Liar!" Masaru slashed down and Shadow blocked with his shield. Sparks flew, "Master Yoshido told me you caused my sister's death! And for that you must die!"

"Yoshido is the liar here, not me!"

"Like I will believe the words of an abomination!" Hunter slashed down and cut the shield in half. He then fired an energy arrow at short range, sending Shadow flying and crashing into the side of a tank. He left a dent of himself on the surface.

_'I have to subdue him without hurting him!_' Shadow thought to himself. He then used the power of the Snake and turned himself invisible.

"Tricks like that won't work on me, Abomination!" Hunter yelled out. Hunter possessed the power of 6th sense. He was able to sense auras, even when the person was invisible or if the aura was weak or hidden. His visor flashed. He looked around and sensed Shadow's aura (black). He turned around and fired an energy arrow that struck and revealed Shadow. Shadow was knocked to the ground. Hunter walked towards his prey, "It's a pity, really. Yoshido told me that you'd be dangerous, but you're not even putting up much of a challenge." He grabbed Shadow by the collar of his armor and raised him up to look at him faceplate to faceplate. "Now, time to kill you…"

"I didn't kill Misha…" Shadow said slowly.

"You lie, even before you die…Well, at least I should tell you this; after I kill you, Yoshido told me to eliminate your little girlfriend too. She's an abomination and must be destroyed." Hunter's pointed his crossbow at Shadow's neck, "Goodbye…"

_'Raven! He's going to kill Raven!'_ And Shadow's eyes narrowed and glowed under his helmet. _'I won't let that happen!' _ "NO!" he blasted Hunter back with a burst of telekinesis that sent him crashing into one of the pipes. Hunter got up and looked confused. He thought he had won, but he guessed he had been wrong. He aimed and fired, but all his shots missed as Shadow turned into intangible shadows and advanced slowly towards him.

This time…Hunter sensed Shadow's aura…and this time Hunter was scared.

Shadow raised his hand and summoned a shadow hand that grabbed onto Hunter and threw him against a tank. He then used his telekinesis to throw Hunter around like a rag doll, smashing him against the ground, pipes and tanks. "I will not let you hurt Raven…" Shadow hissed menacingly as he dropped Hunter roughly to the ground.

Hunter drew a card and slid it into his card reader, his crossbow, "Add Vent: Summoning Cheiron!" the armored centaur creature wearing a helmet came galloping into the scene, armed with its long spear. It charged at Shadow. Shadow focused and used the power of the Sheep, Astral Projection. He went and possessed Hunter. Out of Hunter's voice, a new order came, "Cheiron, stop your attack!" the centaur did and looked at its master in confusion. Shadow's soul flew out of Hunter and back into his own body. Hunter yelled, "Cheiron, what are you doing? Attack him!" the centaur scratched its head in confusion. Its master was giving contradicting orders.

Shadow drew a card and slid it into his belt buckle, "XL-Vent: Excel Active!" the purple lines appeared on Shadow's suit in several connecting hexagonal patterns. He stared at the suit appreciatively, "Hm…impressive." The purple energy stream seemed to glow as the amethyst colored fluid flowed through them. He looked up and saw Cheiron charging at him, galloping loudly as its hooves met the ground. Shadow summoned his staff and raised it up, blocking a downward swing from the spear. The centaur changed tactics and began stabbing at the Snake Knight. When that didn't work, it raised its front legs and began stomping on the Snake Knight, who dodged. While this fight was going on, Hunter was hiding behind a tank, waiting for the right time to shoot Shadow in the back. He slid a Mighty Vent card into his crossbow and got ready.

"Bye, bye, Abomination," Hunter whispered and fired. However, whispering was the mistake he made as he forgot to contemplate upon Shadow's sharp hearing. Shadow leapt up and the arrow hit Cheiron in the chest instead. The monster let out a pain filled roar as it crashed to the ground, its four legs swinging around erratically. Shadow landed on a tank and crossed his arms.

"You should have done your studies, you forgot that I have sharp hearing," Shadow reminded.

"Shut up!" Hunter fired an energy arrow, but the arrow stopped in mid flight as Shadow raised his hand. The arrow dissipated, "That's not possible!"

"It's quite possible," Shadow said confidently.

"Oh yeah…" Hunter yelled out, "DESERT STINGER! AIM ALL WEAPONS ON TARGET SHADOWCOBRA!"

The bike responded and readied all its weapons at Shadow before firing lasers, gattling shots and missiles at the Snake Knight. Shadow saw them coming a mile away and let out an exasperated sigh. He spoke into his SB-Watch, "Activate: Clock Up-5 seconds!" and he disappeared. The ammo missed him. Hunter looked around.

"Where are you, coward!" Hunter demanded, crossbow raised. He felt a quick gust of wind and then got rammed into a tank. Shadow reappeared.

"Clock Over," Shadow muttered.

Hunter kicked out at Shadow, but the Snake Knight just said, "Clock Up-5 seconds," and disappeared again. Hunter hit thin air and then he felt himself being hit across the faceplate and being sent flying and crashing on Cheiron. Shadow reappeared.

"Clock Over."

"How did you do that?" Hunter exclaimed, "Magic? Witchcraft?"

"Technology…" Shadow said simply, "It's called the Clock Up system…and I am not allowed to reveal too much."

"Well, take this!" Hunter drew a card and slid it into his crossbow, "FINAL VENT!" he rode atop Cheiron's back as the Centaur galloped with its spear pointed forward. "HUNTER'S HEART!" Hunter exclaimed as energy surrounded the spear. Shadow rolled his eyes and activated a little bit of something else. He reached behind his back and pulled out a pair of binoculars. It was one of his new SNK-Gear, his SNK-Double Scope. He slid the SNK-Key out of his belt buckle and slid it into the Double Scope, causing the two binocular scopes to flip out. He then attached it to his right boot. He also drew a card: Genosnaker. He slid the card into his belt buckle. Shadow watched as both Hunter and Cheiron came charging at him before pressing a button on his SB-Watch.

"Excel Charge." The purple energy flowed from his belt buckle, through the Excel streams, and into his Double Scope; the weapon flashed. Shadow leapt up and kicked both feet out, firing an amethyst energy drill.

The drill made contact with both Cheiron and Hunter and froze them in place. Shadow's boots glowed purple. "GENO DRILL STRIKER!" he rammed into the laser drill, plowing into Cheiron. Hunter looked in shock as the drill went right through his monster. The monster blew up, destroyed, and Hunter got thrown off.

Shadow saw this and pulled another weapon out. It was a digital camera, his SNK-Cam Knuckle. He transferred the SNK-Key out of the Double Scope and slid it into the Cam Knuckle before he drew another card this time: Metalceros. He slid the card into his belt buckle. He strapped the Cam Knuckle to his right hand like brass knuckles and pressed a button on his watch, "Excel Charge." He pressed another button, "Clock Up-5 seconds." The energy flowed from his buckle and into the Camera Knuckle. The flow of time seemed to freeze around him, slowing to a stand still. This was the secret of the Clock Up system. Shadow ran at Hunter's frozen form and rammed the Cam Knuckle into Hunter, "METAL IMPACT SHOT!" the fist hit Hunter's belt and shattered the crystal.

"Clock Over."

Hunter's Zodiac Belt shattered and his armor disappeared as he landed roughly on the ground. Shadow landed on the ground and stated, "I now take what I have won." The power of Sagittarius flew out of Masaru and went into Shadow. The barrier disappeared as the duel was over. Masaru looked up fearfully at Shadow. The Snake Knight was going to kill him.

Shadowcobra walked towards Masaru, a black aura surrounding him. He could feel Masaru's fear oh so clearly and was enjoying every bit of it. He stopped just in front of the defeated Knight of Sagittarius.

"You know, Misha would be very disappointed in you if she saw you the way you were now," Shadow said before turning back around and walking away.

"You're not…you're not going to kill me?" Masaru said in confusion. Shadow looked over his shoulder.

"You're no longer a threat, no reason to kill you anyway. Besides, Misha would have wanted me to let you live."

"How can you know what Misha would've wanted?' Masaru yelled out.

"You should figure that out yourself." Shadow took out his SB-Cell and called Prof. Murata, "Professor, please send the recovery team…and Team Possible too, I've found the bike." He flipped the phone close and turned to look at Masaru, "You should get out of here," he advised.

"Why…?" Masaru said suspiciously.

"I may not see you as a threat, but I doubt my operatives would feel the same way." He insisted, "Now go!" Masaru took Shadow's advice and ran out of the area. Ichijyo deactivated his armor and pulled the Desert Stinger down from the platform using his telekinesis.

* * *

Ryuki was at the cemetery, kneeling in front of a gravestone. He placed a bouquet of flowers on the grave, white orchids. "Hey, Tazuka," Ryuki said softly, "It's been awhile, hasn't it?" he wiped a tear, "I want to tell you that I've taken Scorpios down, so you've been avenged, my friend." A lithe figure walked up behind Ryuki. It was Jinx.

"Your mom told me you'd be here," Jinx said with arms crossed. Ryuki stood back up and turned to face Jinx.

"Jinxy-chan, I- (Slap!)" he got slapped in the face by his girlfriend.

"Don't you 'Jinxy-chan' me!" Jinx scowled, "Don't you have any idea how worried I was?" her eyes glowed pink as they narrowed in annoyance and anger.

"I'm sorry…It's just that, well Asakura and the girls…I had to go," he said to her, his words jumbled. Jinx sighed.

"But I was still worried. I know you were trying to do the right thing, but the last time…you almost died…I nearly lost you…" she began to cry. He placed his hands gently on her shoulders.

"I'm sorry…" he hugged her.

Jinx sniffled and looked at the grave. There was a photo on the gravestone, "So, is that him?" she asked. Ryuki smiled.

"Yeah," he pulled away and stood next to her, "That's Tazuka, my best friend."

"So…how did you two meet?" Jinx asked.

"A funny story, really," Ryuki began with a nervous smile. Jinx loved his adorable smile, so she kissed him before he began telling his tale.

* * *

It was late, 2 am to be exact. Ichijyo was still in his office filling out paperwork. The Desert Stinger had been retrieved, which was a good thing and Prof. Murata had been thrilled. Raven had also returned safely to Ryuki's mansion. There was also the issue involving Ryuki and Asakura…which had been dealt with in more ways than one. The girls of 3-B were interviewed by an SB operative, who also erased their memories with a clever little device called 'the Flasher'. Ryuki didn't like using the gadget, but it was necessary to keep their secrets well hidden.

However, his mind drifted back to when Ryuki almost died while pursuing Scorpios but came back from certain death, thanks to Pluto using his electrical powers to jump start the dragon Knights' heart. Ryuki's both Ryuki's arms and legs were broken and he was bandaged all over and stitched in a few places. Strangely, after a short time, Ryuki's injuries had all healed under mysterious circumstances. Of course, it didn't help that Ryuki had gone off to fight Scorpios and had nearly gotten killed. Well, Scorpios was gone, which Ichijyo knew had been Ryuki's doing.

Prof. Murata had assumed that Ryuki must've healed because of his feral DNA, which gave him a healing factor and a faster metabolism that allowed him to heal much faster. Ichijyo, however, was not convinced. Therefore, he had Prof. Murata perform a blood test. It would take several days for the results to come in, so he needed to wait.

When Ryuki had 'returned from the dead', something was different about him. His aura had changed. What had happened to him? Ichijyo had heard about such phenomenon happening when people who had died miraculously came back to life. Could Ryuki be-

His train of thought was derailed as his phone rang. He picked it up. "Hello?" he answered. Prof. Murata was on the other end.

"Ichijyo-sama," The Prof. sounded urgent, "You have to come down here! I think you may want to see this!"

"I'm on my way," Ichijyo answered. He placed the receiver down and pressed a button hidden under the paperweight. A trap door opened up under him and his chair tilted down. He slid off his chair and down the hole.

The hole led into a closed slide. He crossed his arms over his chest and pressed his legs together as he slid down the tunnel. He landed, gracefully, on his feet. The slide had led into Prof. Murata's secret lab. The female scientist was seated in front of a high powered microscope. "Look," she motioned for him to look through the microscope, "This is the blood sample we took from Hasuma-san."

Ichijyo looked through the microscope and his eyes widened. His worst fears have been realized. Question was, how long until Ryuki knew for himself? And…should Ichijyo tell his friend what he had become?

"Is this what I think it is?" Ichijyo asked, fearing the answer.

"It is," Prof. Murata confirmed and elaborated, "Ryuki's cells are rapidly evolving, changing. But, what are they changing him into?"

Ichijyo stared at the cells as they began rapidly replicating and changing. Suddenly, the cells began deteriorating. Ichijyo spoke, "They're breaking down."

"Yes, I know," Prof. Murata said as she picked up her notes, "It seems that the rapid evolution is far too unstable. The human cells are unable to adapt, and as such, will slowly begin to break down. I think you know what this means, right?"

"Is there a way to stabilize the process?" Ichijyo asked.

Prof. Yuriko shrugged, "It will take months, possibly years and-" She was interrupted by Ichijyo slamming his fists on the table.

"Damn it! Woman! There may not be much time left! Find a cure, and fast! Don't try! Do!"

To Be Continued…

Shadow's New SNK-Gear is based on the Kaixa Gear from Kamen Rider 555. The Clock Up system comes from Kamen Rider Kabuto.

Note: To avoid confusion. Ichijyo's codename IS Shadowcobra, but he also goes by Shadow, and never Cobra.


	71. PT071: Thriller Night

Part 71: Thriller Night

It had been exactly one week since the Pink Painter, Liz, joined Steel City's Titans East. She fit in nicely with the team and was a great addition to the now growing team of Titans. Fighting crime had become easier since the Pink Artiste became a member. Despite first impressions, Liz and Megami (Zodiac Knight Moon) became the best of friends. Zombie and Blow-Up were still on the loose, but strangely, the duo had not made an appearance since. Venus was having a bad feeling about the whole set up. Her vision had been a warning, but it was just a mess of jumbled up pictures that didn't seem to make sense to the Zodiac Knight of Virgo. Bumblebee had told her not to worry since the Titans East had weekly medical check ups and nothing suspicious was found. That made Venus feel a little better, emphasis on _little_. She was still a little worried though, regardless.

Oh Venus…how right you are.

* * *

(Night, Titans East Tower)

All the members of Titans East were asleep, except three. The trio that were still asleep were the Zodiac Knight of the Rabbit, Zodiac Knight of Virgo, and the Pink Painter, or more commonly known as Venus, Moon and Liz.

* * *

(Venus' Room)

Venus sat up in bed, awakened by what seemed to be a nightmare…or a frightful vision. Her pajamas were soaked in sweat and she was panting heavily. Erika Takada felt an aura of the sinister kind and did not like it. She closed her eyes, trying to steady her breathing. She looked out her window and stared at the moon…something bad was gonna happen…she just knew it.

* * *

(Moon's Room)

Moon was having the same problem; insomnia. Of course, this was not caused by any sinister vision…she just had three cans of cold soda before she went to bed, and combined with her super fast metabolism…it was easy to get the idea. That was why she was wide awake, holding a 'Happy Tree Friends' doll to her chest. The green haired sister of Teen Titans member Shadowcobra gave out a yawn as she rubbed her eyes. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get her eyes closed. Poor Megami…

* * *

(Liz's Room)

The Pink Painter seemed to be awake as well…and pre-occupied…she was busy painting, using her magical painting instruments, the brush in her right hand and the palette in her left. In front of her was a canvas supported by a wooden easel. Her painting would have been in pink, but they were in several different shades of the color. She couldn't sleep; the mission a week ago had unnerved her a bit, including the part when Zombie literally fell apart! That, she admitted, had been both gross and disgusting on so many levels. Of course, she couldn't shake the feeling that the two criminals had set them up for something bigger. The question was what?

* * *

The doors of Aqualad, Speedy, Mas Y Menos, and Bumblebee's rooms, slowly slid open and the respective heroes walked out of their rooms. However, there was something strange about them…their eyes were glowing pure white.

* * *

Venus was almost able to get to sleep, when a sudden horrible feeling made itself known to her. She jerked awake with a gasp and jumped out of bed, grabbing her Zodiac Deck on her way out.

* * *

Moon heard a crash and quickly got up from bed, getting her legs entangled in the sheets. She fell down to the floor with a thud, her face planted on the floor. She pushed herself up and zoomed towards the door, grabbing her Zodiac Deck quickly from her bedside table.

* * *

Liz heard a crash as well and then strapped her brush and palette to her artist's belt. She was clad in pink pajamas and her hair was up in a pair of buns. She still had her mask on though. She ran towards and out the door.

* * *

The three girls arrived in the living room at the same time, with confused looks on their faces. They simultaneously asked, "What happened?"

Boy, they were about to find out.

An arrow landed in the middle of the girls and blew up, sending the Femme Knights and Artiste flying in different directions. They landed roughly on the floor. Venus looked up and gasped. "Speedy?"

There was Speedy, in his uniform, holding his bow. He reached behind him and pulled out another arrow from the quiver, loading it onto his bow. He aimed and fired. The arrow split open to reveal a net that trapped Venus.

"Roy!" Venus yelled, "What's going on?" she demanded. She used her plasma blasts to burn the net off and ran towards the girls, only to fall back down as she slipped on a puddle of water.

Water? But that would mean-Uh oh…

The water began to move like it was alive, forming a sort of water spout that swirled around Venus and trapping her inside. She tried flying out, but the spout followed her as she did. She narrowed her eyes and saw Aqualad. Obviously, he was manipulating the water…Great…just great.

"Boys! Stop this right now!" Moon shouted as the twins, Mas Y Menos, ran around and around, at super high speeds. Moon was unable to find an opening to run out. She was a sitting duck, and she hated duck.

Liz was using her palette as a shield to block the electric blasts of Bumblebee's stingers. "Bee! What's going on?" Liz yelled out. Bumblebee, however, was silent as she continued to use the B-shaped guns and firing electric stun pulses at the Artiste.

"That's it! ZODIAC FORCE OF VIRGO!" Venus screamed out. Her armor formed over her and she was now clad in the white, black and golden suit. Her cape spread out into a pair of wings as she blew the water spout away, right towards Speedy and Aqualad. The Atlantean and Archer were drenched. Virgo apologized, "Nothing personal boys," she then shot the two down with her plasma blasts.

Moon saw Venus transform and understood it was now her cue. She shouted out, "ZODIAC FORCE OF THE RABBIT!" Her pink and white armor attached itself to her body. She leapt over the two speedsters and kicked her leg out, tripping the two, causing them to roll and tumble into the sofa. She winced, "Sorry!"

The Pink Painter had had enough and pulled out her brush. She began painting in the air and something materialized. It was a large piece of flypaper! Bumblebee got stuck on the sticky surface and began to thrash about. The trio of girls regrouped.

"Let's get out of here," Venus suggested.

"Now you're speaking my language!" Moon shouted in agreement as she took the two girls by the arms and ran towards a window. A Mirror Portal formed and she jumped through, taking Liz and Erika with her.

Speedy and Aqualad helped to pull Bumblebee out of her sticky situation. Mas Y Menos were starting to stand up. The founding members of Titans East looked like mindless zombies…puppets. The question was…who was pulling the strings?

* * *

(Somewhere in Steel City)

Moon hauled both Venus and Liz out of one of the many mirror portals and into an old abandoned warehouse. Cardboard boxes were strewn everywhere as wooden planks littered the floor. Since the place had been abandoned, it was also un-kept. Liz sat down on a nearby crate, now clad in her costume. The two Femme Knights' faceplates slid open.

"What just happen?" the pink clad heroine asked.

"If we knew, we'd tell you," Moon answered quite rudely.

"I was just asking!"

"Sorry," Moon apologized, "Just feeling a little down since we were attacked by our 'friends'." Moon made air quotes with her fingers when she said 'friends'.

"I don't know Megami," Venus said hesitantly, "I don't think they knew what they were doing."

"Hello, Erika! They attacked us!" Moon exclaimed.

"I know that!" Venus retorted, "I just have this feeling like they're being controlled or something."

"In our line of work, that is not entirely impossible," the Pink Painter agreed.

"But who's the puppet master? The Puppet King? Brother Blood? Slade?" Moon listed some of the baddies the other Titans had faced. "I mean, based on what we know, it seems like their style…"

"I don't think it's them, Megami," Venus disagreed, "I think it's a bit closer to home."

"The others were acting like zombies and…" Liz began until Venus yelled.

"Stop!" Venus stood up and looked at the pink clad heroine, "Did you just say…zombie?"

"You think that blue guy is behind this?" Liz questioned.

"I'm betting my last 100 yen coin on it," Venus said firmly.

"But how is he controlling them…and not us?" Moon asked.

"Remember that robbery we stopped? Blow-Up threw some tear gas at us. Maybe Zombie did something to us while we were blinded," Venus suggested.

"So why aren't we infected by whatever Zombie did?" Moon asked.

"Maybe your powers as Zodiac Knights protected you?" Liz supplied.

"But what about you?" Moon narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

"My magical paint brush and palette protect me from any mind control," Liz explained, "Comes in handy, y'know."

"Okay, we know who's behind this, but how are we gonna find Zombie?" Venus sat back down, thinking.

Moon rolled her eyes, "Erika…the guy's a literal zombie. Where do they usually go to?"

Liz and Erika's eyes lit up with inspiration.

"The cemetery!" they cried in unison.

"Bingo!" Moon snapped her fingers.

"Let's go!" Venus shouted.

* * *

(Steel City Cemetary)

It was a dark and foggy night, even though it was somewhere in the end of summer. The cemetery was an eerie place to be and the fog just made the atmosphere even more eerier. Gravestones stood everywhere, written on them the names of the deceased buried under them. There were several crypts and mausoleum built on the ground. Some of the more extravagant gravestones had statues made in the deceased honor or statues of small angels, cherubs, flying about. Despite all this, the cemetery still looked very scary. In my own honest opinion, I wouldn't be caught dead in a place like that. (Pauses) Forget I said that…

Venus, Moon and Liz walked around the cemetery, trying to look for Zombie's hide out, or at least a lead to where it was. Venus was getting a bit creeped out, even in her armor. She hated cemeteries. The last time she ever went to one was during her father's funeral. That had been a very depressing day for her.

"Are we gonna be here long?" Venus' eyes darted back and forth.

"Hey, it was your idea!" Liz reminded.

"Grow a back bone!" Moon insisted.

"Okay…fine!" Venus groaned.

"Okay-" Moon zipped around, "-If I was a walking dead body-" she zoomed about, "-Where would I be?"

"Slow down, Moon!" Liz advised her.

"Sorry!" Moon snickered, "Force of habit."

Venus sighed and calmed herself, closing her eyes. Zombie may have been a walking corpse but he still had a life force, or whatever it was that was keeping him animate. She couldn't use the term 'alive' since he was the living dead…Her mind scanned the area, looking for any trace of Necromancy…her eyes snapped open as she smiled, "Gotcha…" she whispered.

"Found something?" Moon asked.

"Yeah," she cocked her head to the side, "Follow me."

* * *

The trio walked down a flight of stone steps, which had been connected to a crypt. They had walked around the coffin in the centre of the room and found a secret passage, leading down a spiral staircase. The girls cautiously walked down, although Moon wanted to zoom down, the three needed the element of surprise.

Of course, Moon was becoming quite impatient; a common symptom suffered by speedsters of her caliber.

"Are we there yet?" Moon said impatiently.

"Almost M," Venus assured her.

"Let's go in, get the antidote, and get out," the Pink Painter replayed the plan.

Megami sighed and then the 'ears' on her helmet picked up something. The faux ears were connected to her actual ones, enhancing her hearing, "Does anyone hear…music?"

"That means we're close," Venus smirked, "Let's go."

The trio quietly walked down and found a large metal door with a combination dial. Liz quipped, "Suspicious much?"

"Moon, can you find the combination?' Venus asked.

"I don't know…" the speedy girl began spinning the dial at super fast speed, "There could be thousands of combinations and…" there was a 'click', "Done!"

Venus checked her watch, "8.98 seconds…nice!"

They pushed the door open and snuck into the lair. They looked around and saw something shocking, gasping in surprise.

There was Zombie, dancing to the song 'Thriller' sung by Michael Jackson. He was dancing insanely, pulling off MJ's moves perfectly.

"I don't know either to be impressed or scared," Venus whispered.

"Should we grab him and interrogate him?" Liz asked in a whisper.

"I don't think that's a good idea…He's a Necromancer and a place like this gives him the advantage," Moon whispered back.

"So, now what?" Venus asked.

Moon grinned, her faceplate sliding close over her face, "Leave that to me girls." Moon, using her magically granted super speed zipped around, becoming nearly invisible. She zoomed into Zombie's lab, undetected and looked around for anything that might be an antidote. She found a vial of glowing blue powder that seemed a bit suspicious, in her opinion. Of course, in all honesty, Zombie's lair was nothing but suspicious. She grabbed it and quickly turned to run out.

Only to have as the alarms blared out, a laser grid surrounding her. One word came to her mind, "Crud."

Zombie stopped his dancing and grinned, removing the fedora from his head, "Too easy…"

Venus and Liz got blasted out of their hiding place by a grenade. They got flung out and in front of Zombie. Walking into the scene was Blow-Up, lighting up a cigarette, "Hello…girlies…"

"A set up!" Venus shouted.

"How perceptive of you," Zombie smiled. Venus stood back up and drew her sword only to be stopped in her tracks when several skeletal hands burst out of the ground and grabbed her by the legs.

"Hey!" she shouted, "Let go of me!"

The Pink Painter was facing Blow-Up, who now had a bazooka aimed at her. He warned, "One wrong move, little pinky, and you're toast."

Liz's eyes narrowed under her eyes. If she fought, there was a possibility that she would lose, facing the armed brute. So, with a dejected sigh, she raised her hands, "I give up."

* * *

The three girls were now locked up in individual bone cages that were each glowing with necroplasmic energy. Moon was unable to run out as the bars pushed her back as she tried to run through them. Their weapons had also been taken.

"I can't believe this is happening!" Moon whined.

"Believe it, M," Venus' face fell.

"There has to be a way out of this," Liz looked around.

"I don't think so girls…" Zombie and Blow-Up walked into the room, followed by the controlled Titans East.

"Guys! Get us out!" Moon shouted.

"Sorry, girlies, but yer friends can hear ya," Blow-Up snickered.

"What are you two planning?" Venus demanded.

"Well ," Zombie began, "if you must know, I plan to turn the entire city into a city of mind controlled zombies, all under my control. The Titans East were the first step as they were the only ones who could stop me. Unfortunately, my mind control powder did not affect you."

"So, that's it, huh?" Venus inquired, "You just want to turn Steel City into your own personal playground?"

"Exactly!" Zombie smiled.

"And I get me some spots for me to BLOW UP!" Blow-Up laughed loudly.

"Wow…how riveting," Moon rolled her eyes.

"So, what are you gonna do to us?" Liz asked.

"Oh we're not going to do anything," Zombie stepped back and motioned to the Titans East, "Your friends will."

Speedy loaded an arrow, Aqualad created a ball of water, Bumblebee charged up her stingers and Mas Y Menos cracked their knuckles.

"Guys! Stop this!" Megami begged.

"Don't do what he says!" Liz shouted.

Venus was becoming upset…depressed…ANGRY…The white glow of her armor intensified. There was no way she was letting Zombie win. With a loud shout, "NO!" the room became engulfed by bright white light.

* * *

When Venus came to…she was lying in the infirmary, stripped out of her armor. The rest of Titans East were all hovering over her, with worried looks on their faces. Venus sat up.

"Ow…" she groaned, holding her head. "What happened? I had this strangest dream…"

"It was no dream, girl," Bumblebee smiled.

"You saved us," Speedy smiled.

"I did?" Venus questioned, "How?"

"The bright flash that you released must have flushed whatever was that was controlling us," Aqualad explained the best he could.

Mas Y Menos brought some flowers and gave them to the healer. Eri smiled, placing a hand on both their heads, "Thanks." She looked around, "Where are Megami and Liz?"

As soon as she said that, the two girls walked into the infirmary. Megami smiled while Liz yawned tiredly.

"We were interrogating Zombie and Blow-Up, trying to get any info from those two," Moon explained. Liz, the Pink Painter, sat on one of the beds. "Anyway, we found out who hired those two."

"Who?" Venus asked.

"Prof. Chang."

To Be Continued…


	72. PT072: Unholy Alliances

Part 72: Unholy Alliances

Kat didn't like this…she didn't like this at all…

It was exactly a week after Slade's attempt to convert Renia, which met with failure in the end. After that little fiasco, they got a call…a call from the Deathtrons.

Kat had known they were orbiting Earth by hacking into Smart Brain's satellite. Since Smart Brain used Deathtron technology, it was fairly easy to be detected. The Justice League still had no clue of the Deathtrons' presence since the battleship incorporated stealth and cloaking technology, making them invisible both on radar and visually. When Capt. Magnus had called Slade to make an alliance, Neko Katherine Hasuma had been having bad feelings about this…she was thinking that Slade was making a huge mistake by working with the Deathtrons, but out of loyalty, she kept her opinions to herself.

She was worried and worried so…the Deathtrons were naturally treacherous and could not be trusted. They would easily stab each other in the back and would have no qualms in doing the same to their 'allies' as the case may be. Kat sighed and left her room..

* * *

Kat walked down the stairs and into the living room. Rose and Joey were watching some TV. Kat sighed and went over to the sofa, sitting between the teens known as Zodiac Knight Aqua and Zodiac Knight Scizzors, respectively. Rose looked at her girlfriend worriedly. She had the ability to sense if Kat was depressed.

"Something wrong?" she asked.

"No," The Zodiac Knight of Cats lied. She earned a stern glare from Rose and admitted, "Yes…"

"What about?"

Katherine shuffled uncomfortably, "It's about this whole deal with the Deathtrons…working for Trigon is one thing, but the Deathtrons?" she frowned.

"You don't think it's a good idea for daddy to be associated with them?" Rose inquired. Kat nodded.

"Deathtrons are treacherous by nature, Rose. They would turn on each other as soon as they would backstab their allies, namely us."

((Aren't you being a little paranoid?)) Joey asked.

"Maybe…a little…I don't know!" Kat scowled, "But I do know this: the Deathtrons cannot be trusted."

Rose and Joey were silent. Kat had a lot of trust issues. It took her over a month to learn to trust them when they first started working together as Team Tartarus, with her acting as leader. However, they had learnt to trust Kat's intuition; she was rarely wrong.

"Grant's enjoying the whole arrangement though," Rose told Kat.

"That's because he gets to tinker and play with Deathtron toys," Kat retorted. She groaned, "He's as tech crazy as Pluto."

Rose and Joey nodded in agreement.

"So, got anything new to tell me? Like…what's going on with the Titans?" Kat asked the two. They were told to do monitor duty.

"Not much…they go out to fight crime like usual, but now they have that little crystal maker," Rose answered. She added, "And that 'Triple-Changer'."

Triple-Changer was the alias Kat had conceived based on DT's ability to shift between human, tank armor and bat armor. He was getting good at using both armored forms that he was turning into a threat…a dangerous threat. Working with the Deathtrons may give them an advantage over Double-Trouble, but being in the same room with those aliens just made her skin crawl. To her, Sabretrons and Deathtrons were just as bad as the other. She hated them both.

"So nothing much?" Kat raised an eyebrow.

((Well, we do have a video of Beast Boy getting beaten up by Renia after he called her 'squirt')) Joey grinned. Kat laughed; seeing that just might bring up her awful mood.

The Titans had found out her identity, so it wasn't safe for her to go out in broad daylight. She could, but the Titans may just try to take her in. Thankfully, Slade had a lot of good lawyers, most of them from Wolfram and Hart. However, it was a good idea for her to be just a little cautious.

"When will Slade-sama be returning?" Kat asked.

"Sometime later tonight," Rose answered, "Daddy and Captain Magnus are going over a few new plans to take down the Titans."

Out of all the Deathtrons, Captain Magnus filled Kat with a feeling of disgust. The guy gave her the creeps. To be fair, Slade had been creepy, but she got used to him, even learnt to care about and respect him. Captain Magnus, on the other hand, was a different story entirely and she doubted that she would ever get used to the guy.

"Okay…" Kat suddenly found her nails more interesting. She turned to Rose, "Rosey…you wanna go out on a date tonight?" she asked. They had been working harder than usual ever since the alliance they made with the Deathtrons. Team Tartarus had been left exhausted, even Kat, after each training session. Tonight, maybe, Kat and Rose could at least have a night off since nothing was going to happen tonight.

Rose smiled and kissed Kat on the cheek, "I'd love to." Kat smiled back, a sweet smile.

* * *

(Later, that night)

Kat had asked for Slade's permission to take the night off and take Rose on a date. Slade agreed, seeing as his children and apprentice have been working hard.

Kat was dressed in a pair of blue jeans with a pair of black shoes and a black midriff top with torn sleeves. She adjusted her bow and the bracelets on her wrist. Last but not least, she strapped her Zodiac Deck to her belt. She grabbed her biker jacket and headed down.

Rose had been waiting for her. The white haired girl was in a blue midriff t-shirt with a black picture of a dolphin and a matching denim miniskirt. She wore a pair of slippers and a pair of gold earrings. Kat stood stunned and then smiled. She walked over to her love and embraced her, kissing her lovingly on the lips.

"Ready to go?" Kat asked.

Rose smiled, cheeks still flushed, and answered, "Yes."

"You don't mind if we ride Psychorogue, right?"

"No."

"Well…" Kat reached behind her and pulled out a blue helmet, "Let's go."

* * *

The night was cold, but Kat didn't mind it. She did, however, give the jacket to Rose, who kissed her in appreciation. The two girls rode down the streets of Jump City, riding upon the monster-turned-motorcycle Psychorogue.

Their first stop was dinner. Not something lavish like a 5-star restaurant, but more like a fast food joint. They stopped at McDonalds and ordered a meal. Kat had herself a fish sandwich while Rose had a cheeseburger. They were also fries and soda. They ate their meal in relative silence while giving each other loving glances in mid-bite.

Then, the couple went to the movies. They watched the movie 'Underworld'. It was an action movie with some romance in it as well. Rose and Kat held hands as they watched the movie. Every so often, they stole kisses from each other and at the end of the movie, Rose's head rested on Kat's shoulder while Kat rested her head on Rose's.

They then decided to ride around a bit, taking in the sights of the city. They then arrived at a nightclub and entered. There was dance floor and several pool tables. There was also a bar. Rose and Kat went over to the bar. Kat then said to her, "I need to go to the little girl's room. Wait here for me, kay?" Rose nodded. Kat ran towards the bathrooms in her haste.

* * *

Kat splashed some water onto her face and looked into the mirror. Staring back at her was her own reflection and next to her was her monster, Techno Panther.

"_You have to tell him how you feel about this whole arrangement with the Deathtrons_," Techno-Panther said to her.

"How genius? I mean, Slade-sama is looking forward to having the Titans eliminated, and if working with the Deathtron does that, how can my feelings change that?" Kat retorted, snarling.

"_You could explain to him…_"

Kat scoffed, "Like that would work. Slade-sama is a stubborn guy and rarely takes no for an answer." She turned to leave the bathroom as Techno Panther faded from the mirror.

When Kat got back to Rose, she found her being harassed by some jock-types. Figures. All they were interested in was to bed a girl and leave. It was wham-bam, thank you ma'am with these SOBs. She stalked over and tapped her finger on one of the three jock's shoulders. The jock turned and glared. Kat put on her most sweetest face and used her most sweetest voice.

"Excuse me," she began, "But what do you think you're doing?"

The jock answered, "What's it look like?" he looked her over, "Y'know…you're kinda hot. Wanna date?"

"Sorry, jocko," Kat went over to Rose and slung her arm over the white haired girl's shoulders, "I'm already seeing someone."

Another jock, an African American exclaimed, "Lesbos dude!"

Kat's left eyebrow twitched, "Yesh, got a problem with that?"

"Yeah we do," Another jock, this time a fat one, cracked his knuckles, "And it's you Lesbos."

Kat sighed, "Could we not do with the name calling?" he saw their faces and rolled her eyes, "Guess not." She turned to Rose, "Do you mind if I…?"

"Go for it," Rose nodded.

"Thanks," Kat grinned.

The jocks circled around her, one aiming a punch to her face. She dodged to the side and did an open palm strike to the guy's chin and followed up with a roundhouse kick to the guy's head. He stumbled back. The black jock picked up a pool cue and swung it at her. Kat dodged effortlessly from the swings before grabbing the cue, and snapping it in half. She jumped up and heel kicked the guy in the head, sending him to La-la land. The last jock grabbed her from behind. She rolled her eyes. With incredible strength, she pulled him off and threw him onto the dance floor. She strutted over and smirked, "Let's dance!"

* * *

The jocks were thrown out right through the window, sending glass flying everywhere. Rose and Kat stepped out of the club, as well as a few other patrons. The Cat Knight turned to her Rose and whispered into her ear, "We better bail out."

"Agreed," Rose nodded. They ran towards the Psychorogue and hopped onto the bike, zooming into the streets before the cops and Titans came.

As Kat rode down the street, she heard a familiar ringing sound in her ears, Rose too. It was another mirror breach, meaning another monster was trying to crossover from the Mirror Dimension. Kat revved up her engine and accelerated, heading towards the source of the sound.

* * *

Eddie was working overtime at the construction site, jack hammering on the ground. He was the only one there. There were glass windows propped up on the wooden fence, which would soon be fitted onto the building upon construction. He wiped his brow after removing his helmet.

A growling sound was heard and Eddie turned in the direction. A monster that looked like an armored werewolf leapt out of one of the windows and stalked over to Eddie. Eddie, in fear, stood frozen as the thing came closer. It then ran over to him…

Only to be knocked away by a speeding motorcycle.

The monster, known as a Metawolf, landed roughly on the ground as the bike skidded to a halt. Eddie took the chance to escape. This had nothing to do with him and he didn't want to stay longer to become dog-chow.

Kat took of her helmet and walked over to the Metawolf. The monster growled and pounced on her. She fired a green energy beam from her hand that blasted it away. The monster decided to escape back into the Mirror Diemension, so it leapt back into one of the windows. Rose went over to Kat and Kat said to her, "Let me handle this," Kat un-strapped the deck from her belt and shouted out, "ZODIAC FORCE OF THE CAT!" her armor came and attached itself to her body, the helmet being the final piece as the faceplate covered her face. She ran into the window and into the Mirror Dimension.

* * *

Zodiac Knight Copycat rode in her Knightrider, looking for the Metawolf. She found it and it was like it was waiting for her. She shook her head and exited her vehicle as the to swung up allowing her to get out. She took out her whip and charged, lashing out her whip. The Metawolf grabbed her whip in its claws. Cat immediately drew a card and slid it into the whip. "Strike Vent!" her clawed gauntlets materialized and she immediately ran, attacking the monster with claw strikes and slashes. The Metawolf countered with its own slashes and even bit Copycat on the shoulder. Kat executed a reverse roundhouse kick into the monster's side before stabbing its head with her claws. It let out a howl as it exploded, destroyed by the power of the Cat.

Copycat, with a sigh, thinking it was over, walked towards the nearest portal. However, her trained ears picked up something…a sound she did not like. It was howling…and there was a lot of howling going on. She looked around and gasped. All around her were either dozens or hundred of Metawolves. She had forgotten that, aside from the Gazelle-types, Canine-types traveled in groups, packs…the Metawolves howled and pounced together, their target being the Cat Knight of Mimicry.

"Bring it on, bitches!" she snarled.

* * *

(Human World)

Rose had been clutching her Zodiac Deck to her chest as she watched Copycat fighting the Metawolf. When she saw the Metawolves gang up on her Kat, she decided it was time to act.

"ZODIAC FORCE OF AQUARIUS!" her blue and white armor formed on her body. Her faceplate and v-shaped black visor slid close. "I'm coming Kitty-Kat!" she shouted, running into the window and into the Mirror Dimension.

* * *

(Mirror Dimension)

Kat was smashed into a car. She shook her head, groaning as she attempted to get up, but was plowed right through by a pair of Metawolves, who began biting and clawing at her. She blasted them away with telekinesis and helped herself up. Her armor had cracks and scratches, but was still holding up…barely. A Metawolf then snuck up behind her and bit her on the shoulder. She screamed out loud in pain. Soon, the other remaining Metawolves circled around her, prepared to finish her off. Would this be the end of the evil Cat Knight, ending up as nothing more than dog food?

No.

A powerful tidal wave crashed into the scene, flooding everything, washing away the Metawolves and drowning a few. Copycat got caught in rapid waters, but felt a tug as she was fished out.

"You okay, Kat?" her rescuer spoke gently and Copycat found herself staring at Aqua in her beautiful blue and white armor. Aqua was riding on Dolpheen, using the armored dolphin like a surf board.

"Never better…" Copycat flinched. She looked at her hand and saw her armor flaking off. Her time was almost up and it wouldn't be too soon until her armor completely disintegrated. "Thanks for the save."

"You know I'll always be there for you."

"Good, can we go now?"

"As you wish, hold on."

"Ugh, I hate water!"

* * *

The couple returned to the mansion, both tired as heck.

"Some night, huh?" Kat laughed, now sporting some cuts on her arms.

"Yeah," Rose agreed, twirling her hair around her finger. "But it was nice…"

"Even the brawls?"

"Even the brawls."

Rose and Kat leaned into each other and caught each other's lips in a passionate kiss. Kat pressed Rose against the door and her hands wandered all over the white haired girl. Her hands even went as much as under Rose's shirt. Rose's hands were wandering as well, finally landing on her Kat's butt. They pulled away, panting.

"My room or your room?" Kat asked, stroking Rose's cheek. She had a hungry look in her eyes.

"Mine," Rose answered, her cheeks flushed.

The daughter of Slade and apprentice of Slade then kissed again.

To Be Continued…

A touch of Rose/Kat fluff for the fans. Whaddya think?


	73. PT073: Cold as Ice

Part 73: Cold as Ice.

His feet shot out some fire. He then did a test and was now floating 5 inches off the ground. "Cool!" he grinned. As it was known, Draco, even though he was telekinetic, was not able to manifest that ability into flight. However, through practice, he was able to focus his combustion power through his feet, allowing flight.

His flying coach was Blackfire.

The two were on the roof of Smart Brain Corp. They were to practice flying through the city. Pluto, Shadow, Raven and Jinx were there, and so was Prof. Murata. Jinx held up a camcorder to tape the whole thing, mostly her boyfriend.

It had been a couple of days since the Desert Stinger had been retrieved and Masaru got away. At least they got the bike back and the mass production of the Desert Stingers could be initiated. Kim, Ron and Wade had returned to Middleton since the mission was considered over.

Draco concentrated and now hovered in the air a little higher so that he was eye to eye with Blackfire, Blackfire smirked, _This is gonna be easy…_ she smirked. "Are you ready, dragon boy?" she called out.

Draco gave her a nod, "As ready as I'll ever be. Never flown on my own power before, though."

"Well, catch me if you can!" she challenged, and she shot into the city.

Draco turned and saw that the others were already in the Darkwinger (a jet shaped like a bat) and Stealth Stinger (a stealth fighter shaped like a stingray), except for Prof. Murata who was holding a lap top computer.

"We'll follow after you through the sky," Pluto said with Jinx sitting behind him in the Darkwinger. The large bat-like jet's cockpit closed as its engines roared. Draco groaned and shot out after Blackfire, leaving a dissipating trail of fire. The two Z-Jets took off right after, blowing powerful winds that caused Prof. Murata's coat to flap in the wind. She looked up and grinned.

"This would be an awesome field study! How exciting!" she laughed like a mad scientist.

Blackfire was flying fast, leaving Draco to catch up. He was fast, but not as fast as her. She even taunted him by flying backwards and waving sweetly. Draco growled and sped after her in which she responded by flying forwards. The two jets following them were lagging behind.

"Can't this thing go any faster?" Jinx asked, "I'm losing good footage here."

"You want faster?" Pluto asked, flicking up a clear cover to a red button marked 'TURBO', "How's about this!" Pluto slammed his fist onto the button. The jet rockets blew out a torrent of flames that propelled the jet after the two flying teens.

Shadow and Raven saw this, and groaned. Shadow was piloting the Stealth Stinger and turned to Raven, "Raven, do you mind handling the controls?"

She shrugged and asked, "Why?" He turned into shadow mode and immediately flew into the controls, phasing through. Raven understood, "Ghost in the machine, huh?"

"Just brace yourself, my little blackbird," his voice crackled through the radio. Raven gripped the controls tightly and breathed out a small Azarathian prayer. As soon as she was done, the pink jet sailed through the air at break neck speed.

Draco, meanwhile, was having a game of tag with Blackfire. Blackfire would sometimes dive, swerve around and even spiral around buildings. The last part made the young dragon Knight dizzy, but he was still able to go after her.

Blackfire turned around and was not able to spot Draco. She smirked confidently, "Well. Looks like he finally gave up."

"Oh really?" said a mocking voice next to her. She gasped and she snapped her head back to see Draco smiling and waving at her. They were neck and neck. "See ya later, slowpoke!" he laughed as he zoomed ahead of her. Blackfire jaw dropped, but she quickly recovered, teeth gritted and eyes glowing violet.

"NO YOU DON'T!" she roared and gave chase.

"Looks like Draco is in the lead," Shadow commented.

"And he's making Blackfire eat his dust," Raven added.

"I don't think Black is going to be happy about this," Pluto said uttered worriedly.

"So what?" Jinx huffed, "My baby's winning!"

"COME BACK HERE!" Blackfire shouted.

"CATCH ME FIRST!" Draco taunted, fuelling her anger. She let out a cry and shot her eyebeams at him. He let out a yelp before flying to the side to dodge. "Hey!" he shouted, "No fair!"

"All's fair in love and war, kiddo," she blew him a kiss, "Catch ya at the finish line!" she then zoomed right pass him.

"There's no way I'm gonna lose, Blackfire," Draco grinned. He ran the numbers in his head and when he was done, he had an ear to ear grin plastered on his face. "Ready or not, Blackfire…HERE I COME!" he sped after her, leaving a very long trail of fiery energy.

* * *

(Later…)

The 6 of them returned to Draco's mansion, completely exhausted. The flight practice had taken them all the way to Kyoto and back. It was clearly obvious who the winner of the 'race' was as Draco wore a satisfied smile on his face.

"Next time, dragon boy," Blackfire warned, "You just got lucky this time." Draco only grinned wider.

As they entered, Draco's mother immediately stormed towards them.

"I need…MODELS!" she cried out.

* * *

(Much later, after a long and tiring explanation)

It would seem that Mrs. Hasuma, Draco's mother, was hosting another fashion show that very night. However, all of the models she had hired for the show had all gotten mysteriously ill. It would seem that they had eaten some bad seafood the night before and were clearly not in good shape to do the show and to model Mrs. Hasuma's clothes. Mrs. Hasuma couldn't call for more models on such short notice so she decided to use the next best thing…

"No," Raven said firmly, eyes narrowed, "There is no way we're going to model…again."

"Please…I'm desperate!" the older woman was on her knees. Dracp blushed, embarrassed by his mother's behavior.

"I'd be happy to do it, Mrs. Hasuma," Jinx volunteered. She turned to Blackfire, "What about you, Black?"

"I don't know…" Blackfire's head was tilted to the side as fiddled with her hair. "It sounds like a very tempting offer. How much does it pay?"

"Blackfire!" Pluto gasped.

Mrs. Hasuma wrote up a check and tore it out of the check book. She gave the check to Blackfire and the black haired Tamaranians sparkled with Yen signs. She quickly stood up and helped Mrs. Hasuma up and shaking her hand vigorously, "I'LL DO IT!" Draco's mother beamed.

The last to convince was Raven, who had slipped out the door while no one was looking. Shadow followed after her.

* * *

"Something the matter, luv?" Shadow asked. Raven stopped walking and turned to glare at her boyfriend. Noticing the concerned look in his eyes, she sighed.

"Nothing," she shook her head, but he could tell she was being untruthful. She saw the look in his eyes and answered more truthfully, "Actually, something is wrong."

"Stage fright?"

"It's…it's not that," she shook her head, "It's just that…the last time I…enjoyed it."

"So what's the problem?" he questioned, "If you enjoyed it, why won't you do it?"

"It's because…I don't want to look like…" she didn't know what to say.

"A bimbo? An over absorbed self centered bimbo?" he supplied.

"Not the exact words I was looking for…but yes," she sighed.

"Raven, you're a lot of things," he walked over to her and placed his hands on her shoulders, "But bimbo isn't one of them."

"So, you think I should do this?" she asked.

"Do you want to?"

"I want to help Draco's mother," she said to him, "She's been so nice and all, letting us stay here and…" she finally said, "I'll do it," adding, "But I won't like it."

"That's the spirit, luv," he leaned down and kissed her.

* * *

(Tokyo Convention Centre)

The Convention Center was packed with many fashion designers, models, rich people and fashion appreciators. These people were either interested in buying some of Mrs. Hasuma's designs or just watching the models on the catwalk.

Of course, the girls weren't the only ones being enlisted.

"How your mother talked me into this is beyond me," Shadow said as he peaked out from behind a curtain. Draco's head peaked out above him.

"She has this way with words…plus she's very persuasive," Draco replied.

It would seem that as she was recruiting the girls, she was recruiting the boys as well. Why? The theme was 'Couples' and the models would walk down the catwalk wearing couples clothing, ie: matching wear.

Oh doy…

Suddenly, Draco heard a ringing sound. It was a monster alert. Shadow heard it too. Draco said, "I can handle it, keep my mother busy, okay?"

"You sure?" Shadow asked, "Maybe I should go-"

"No!" Draco answered sharply, "I need to do this myself."

Shadow understood and nodded as Draco looked for a mirror or a reflective surface. Mrs. Hasuma came by to him and asked, "Where's Ryuki?"

Shadow answered, "He's…busy…"

She quirked an eyebrow, "He went to fight a monster, huh?"

He admitted, "Yes."

"Well…" she peaked her head and looked out at the assembled guests, "I could postpone the show until he comes back."

"You can?"

"Just make sure he doesn't come back late."

* * *

(Mirror Dimension)

Draco crashed into the wall, clad in his red and silver armor. He shook his head. "Ow…" he groaned, getting himself back up.

The monster he was facing was a humanoid alligator with cybernetic enhancements on its body. It was known as an Alligaton.

The mother roared and ran at Draco, chomping on Draco's arm. Draco's pulled his fist back and punched the Alligaton in the nose, sending the monster flying. The monster's snout had bee hard and even with the power of the Ox, Draco's hand still hurt. Draco saw the creature coming back and Draco drew a card. He stared at the card and his eyes widened under his helmet.

Dragblacker…

"_Use me…summon me…" _the monster spoke through the card. "_My powers can help you…_"

Draco reluctantly agreed, "Just this once, Dragblacker…" Draco sighed, sliding the card into his Dragauntlet. "Add Vent: Summoning Dragblacker." The black dragon roared as it was summoned, red eyes glaring hatefully at its 'master's' opponent. It looked at Draco and growled.

Draco's armor began to take on a new color scheme. The red parts turned black and the silver parts turned into a dark indigo color. His green eyepieces turned red and a black dragon emblem decorated his chestplate and headpiece. He stood back up and a cold aura surrounded his body.

Presenting Zodiac Knight Draco…Dark Form

Draco rushed at the Alligaton, a trail of ice following after as he literally glided over to the monster. A well aimed fist slammed into its jaw and sent it flying. Draco drew a card and slid it into his gauntlet, "Shoot Vent: Black Dragon Cannon." The dragonhead shaped cannon appeared on Draco's right arm and he aimed at the Alligaton. Instead of fire, the dragon cannon shot out a ball of cold energy that hit the monster and froze it solid. Draco took the chance to activate another card, Final Vent.

"Final Vent." Dragblacker swirled around Draco in the same manner as Dragonzer. The black dragon let out a roar as Draco jumped high into the air, it following after. Draco. The Black Dragon Knight extended his foot and exclaimed, "FREEZING DRAGON KICK!" Frost energy wrapped around his extended leg like an ice spike before he smashed right into the frozen monster. Ice chunks were sent flying every where as it exploded. A lone energy ball rose up and Dragblacker gobbled it up, licking its lips in satisfaction. Draco walked over to the nearest mirror and jumped in, leaping out through the other side into the human world. His black armor shattered. As Draco walked away, cold blue energy escaped from his fingertips.

* * *

(Back at the Convention Centre)

Draco returned just in time and the fashion show had gone off without a hitch and Mrs. Hasuma received many praises. Blackfire not only got a lot of money, but got to keep the dresses she helped model. Raven and Shadow were also satisfied.

But, something had changed in Draco…and it was only a matter of time until it made itself known.

Dragblacker watched from beyond the mirrors and was wearing an unmistakable grin.

"_Only a matter of time…"_ it growled.

"Well, that was good night, huh guys?" Draco said, yawning and stretching his limbs.

"I'll say," Jinx agreed, giggling. She loved the feeling of having her picture taken, even more so with her Knight. Any girl would be green with envy right now.

"Well, I'm just glad to be able to please the ladies with my good looks," Pluto smiled. Shadow rolled his eyes.

"Whatever," the Knight of Invisibility mumbled.

"Hopefully, this will be the last time we do anything like this," Raven stated.

"As I recalled, Raven, you were enjoying it," Blackfire smirked. Raven blushed. She didn't want to admit it, but deep down Raven did enjoy the attention.

"Oh, children!" Mrs. Hasuma said cheerfully as she ran up to them, "Thank you so much!"

"It was the least we could do, Okaasan," Draco said to his mother.

"How about dinner at one of Tokyo's best restaurants? My treat!" she offered, "You deserve a reward."

Before the Titans could agree, Shadow's SNK-Phone rang. He flipped it open and answered, "Moshi moshi?"

Prof. Murata was on the other line, "Ichijyo-sama. There seems to be a bank robbery taking place. I'll send you the coordinates."

"Okay," Shadow stared at the screen, memorizing the location, before flipping the phone close. He apologized to Mrs. Hasuma, "I'm sorry, ma'am, but it seems that we have urgent business to attend to."

* * *

(Bank robbery)

The 3 robbers got into their get away vehicle, a black van, and drove off with their loot. They wore black ski masks to hide their identities.

"That was TOO easy!" Robber #1 exclaimed.

"Yeah, and none of those dumb Masked Riders or cops to stop us!" Robber #2 laughed.

Robber #3, who was driving looked at his rear view mirror shouted, "Guys! We have company!"

Following close behind the van were Draco, Shadow and Pluto, clad in their SB uniforms and wearing their helmets to hide their identities. With them were the girls. The Knights were racing on their Z-Riders. Jinx rode behind Draco while both Blackfire and Raven followed in the air.

"FLOOR IT!" Robber #1 exclaimed, "LET'S LOSE THOSE FREAKS!"

The van accelerated and drove towards down town. Shadow sighed, "Why do they always make it harder for themselves?" he ordered, "Blackfire, stop those wheels!"

"My pleasure!" Blackfire flew ahead.

"And Raven, make sure she doesn't cause too much damage," he added. Raven nodded and flew ahead.

"We lost em!" Robber #2 said triumphantly.

"Did you?" Blackfire smirked, flying alongside the van. The driver was shocked and lost control of the vehicle. Blackfire grabbed onto the van and used her alien strength to pull back and slow it down.

Raven chanted, "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" engulfing the van in black energy. The van stopped moving as she pulled the tires off telekinetically. Blackfire tore the driver's door open and pulled out one of the robbers. He tried to punch at her, but was knocked out by an electric shock. Pluto got off his bike after pulling over.

"A gentleman should not strike a lady," he commented, taking off his helmet.

The second robber tried to escape while the others were occupied with his partner, but was grabbed by a shadow hand coming up from the street.

"Don't even think about it," Shadow said.

Draco took off his helmet. He noticed something, "Hey, weren't there three of them?"

The last robber got lucky and ran off with some of the loot. Draco and Jinx noticed him. Draco yelled, "FREEZE!" as he shouted this, he shot out both his arms and blasted out…a blue stream of energy?

Since when did Draco shoot blue energy?

Regardless, the thief was frozen in his tracks, literally, as his body was slowly encased in a layer of solid ice.

The Titans stared as Draco stared at his own hands in disbelief. "Woah…"

"That's a new trick," Raven said, amazed.

"When…?" Pluto began, "How…? What…?"

"Baby?" Jinx walked up to her boyfriend, "How did you do that?"

"I don't know…" he muttered.

"I didn't know you could do that," Shadow said as he levitated down next to his fire starter of a friend.

"Neither did I…" Draco blinked. He snapped his fingers and the ever familiar flame was flickering on one of them. He snapped them again and shot out an ice beam that froze a nearby car. The Titans jumped at this.

"Me thinks that Dragon-boy needs to learn a little control," Blackfire suggested, "For all our sakes."

Draco continued to stare at his hands and then he saw flashes of images in his head; one of a silhouette of a feral beast. He shook his head. Just what was going on?

* * *

(Smart Brain Secret Lab)

"Is this really necessary?" Draco asked.

"We need to find out what triggered this new power," Pluto explained.

"Yes, but is THIS really necessary?" Draco was stripped down to his boxers and hooked up to a strange machine via several thin wires attached to his body.

"I'm not complaining!" Jinx squealed, looking Draco's body up and down. Raven rolled her eyes and Blackfire was just staring.

Shadow stared at Draco. Something had happened back at the fashion show to have caused this…and he was going to get to the bottom of this. Jinx continued to ogle and even took some snapshots, making Draco blush.

To Be Continued…

Note: The Knights no longer call themselves the 'Masked Riders', only the media does that. There is also a possibility that Shadow, being leader, had mentioned that they've joined the Teen Titans.

Just a few more chapters till this arc draws to a close. Stay tune when the Knights face their biggest battle of all in the concluding chapters of this arc.

BTW, the Knights wear matching black uniforms, except that their shoulder pads, gloves and boots are color coded and they added additions to their uniforms, which include their individual insignias on their shoulder pads.

Shadow wears purple shoulder pads, elbow pads, knee pads, gloves, boots, a mask and a cloak.

Pluto wears blue shoulder pads, elbow pads, knee pads, gloves, boots, a blue mask and a blue sleeveless coat.

Draco wears red shoulder pads, elbow pads, knee pads, gloves, boots, a scarf, a mask and goggles.


	74. PT074: The Dragon's B Day

Part 74: The Dragon's B-Day…

The date was August 22nd. The Knights and their girlfriends, the Titan girls Blackfire, Raven and Jinx were still in Tokyo. They would all be going home the day after tomorrow. But first…there was going to be a party.

Why?

Because, August 22nd was also the Knight of Combustion's Birthday.

Ryuki was out training with his grandfather. Meanwhile, the other Titans were in the rec. room. Takada was having a game of pool with Ichijyo, and was losing badly. The Snake Knight's skills were excellent as he had just sent another ball into the left corner pocket. Jinx and Blackfire were at the air hockey table while Raven read a book on the couch. It was at that moment that Ryuki's grandmother walked in. She was an elderly woman with graying short red hair and wearing a business suit. Sonomi Narukawa was Emiko Narukawa Hasuma's mother and Ryuki's maternal grandmother. Even after all this time, she and Ryuki's grandfather, Kokoru Hasuma, had never gotten along so well. They couldn't stand each other and having them stay in the same room would be just inviting trouble. Also, she was the President and CEO of 'Narukawa Toys'.

"Good morning kids," she greeted cheerfully. The Titans replied politely to the elderly woman. She then added, "I see that Ryuki-kun had gone out to train with his grandfather." She muttered under her breath, "_That old fossil_."

"Yeah, he did," Jinx answered. She blocked the puck heading towards her goal. She then noticed Sonomi smiling, "Is something the matter?"

"Oh, didn't you know?" she smirked, "The only reason that Ryuki's grandfather took him out for training for the whole day was…"

"Yes…" Jinx was beginning to feel intrigued.

"TODAY IS RYUKI'S BIRTHDAY!"

The other Titans eyes widened in surprise.

"What?" Jinx exclaimed.

"It is?" Blackfire shouted.

"It is," Takada checked his watch and slapped his forehead, "Damn it! I totally forgot."

"I didn't," Ichijyo said as he chalked the tip of his pool cue. "I got him a gift a week ago."

"And it didn't occur to you to tell us?' Jinx scowled.

"I thought you all knew," Ichijyo shrugged. He then got beaned in the head by the air hockey puck.

"I knew about it too and got him a gift with Ichijyo," Raven said.

"Why didn't he tell me?" Jinx said sadly.

"Maybe he forgot," Blackfire answered. "Men, they would forget to tie their own shoes if we didn't tell them." Takada moaned.

"That only happened once, Komi."

"He does have a habit of forgetting his own birthday," Ichijyo told Jinx while rubbing his head.

"Is there going to be a party?" Blackfire asked hopefully.

"Of course!" Sonomi said, "What's a birthday without a party!"

"Will his guest list include his…classmates?" Jinx asked warily. Sonomi nodded. Jinx cringed. That Ayase girl had rubbed her the wrong way.

"The party is tonight, kids!" Remember to bring presents!" Sonomi said before walking out.

Jinx looked at the floor sadly. She didn't notice Blackfire cheering out, "Score!" or any other sound. Why hadn't Ryuki told her about his birthday? Did he really forget? She looked at the promise ring on her finger. She shook her head. She couldn't believe that she doubted him for a second. Okay, first things first; she needed to get a present…but what?

* * *

Class 3-B…

It was still summer vacation and the girls were still preparing for their University Entrance Exams…or so it would seem. However, the girls were in reality passing notes while the tutor was speaking. He was of the oblivious and boring kind and did notice anything aside from the blackboard.

Lucky girls.

The girls were passing notes. It was duly noted that this would have been Ryuki's class, if he hadn't graduated early. Regardless, the girls were still very much in love with the young Dragon Knight. Who wouldn't? He was a naturally nice and fun loving guy.

And one girl, a blonde girl, was willing to do anything to bag the Knight and make him hers. That girl was Ayase…

_'Tonight is Leo's birthday! I can't wait! Oh, I'll give him the bestest gift of all and no one, not even that pink haired hussy, will be able to stop me! Oh-hohohoho!' _

Of course, she didn't realize that she had just risen up from her seat and laughed out loud. Someone should tell her. Oh well…

* * *

The Plan was simple. Gramps was to take Ryuki out on an all day training session that would last until evening. This would give everyone enough time to set up the music, the decorations, catering, and get gifts. And, when Draco arrived all sweaty and tired, he would be lead towards the bathroom in the Dojo, where his clothes will be waiting for him. When he came back…he would definitely be surprised.

Now all Jinx had to do was decide what to get Ryuki. She was at the mall with Blackfire and Takada, getting last minute gifts. Takada got Ryuki a new set of Duel Monster cards that had a lot of rare and powerful cards for his deck while Blackfire had gotten the dragon Knight several music CDs. The kid seemed to like Rap and Rock and Roll. Now, all that as left was Jinx's gift.

"Maybe you should get him a new dragon statue to replace the one that got smashed," Takada suggested.

"No," the witch shook her head.

"I agree. Sounds too tacky," Blackfire dismissed it.

When the trio passed by a store selling musical instruments, Jinx stopped cold and pressed her face against the window. There on display was a set of drumsticks…the perfect gift for Ryuki who was a drummer. The sticks were red in color with yellow flame designs on the surface. They would look good with his drum set. She had heard him practice and by the looks of it, he would definitely love a new set of drumsticks.

"I think I just found the perfect gift," Jinx purred.

* * *

( 7.45 PM…Hasuma/Narukawa Mansion)

Ryuki was exhausted. Okay, maybe exhausted wouldn't be the exact right word, but it was the only thing that came to the Red Knight's mind. He wobbled in his step as he dragged himself through the gate. Ryuki looked up and his house seemed much farther in reality to him in his exhausted state. Regardless, he had to walk towards the door.

His grandfather had left him in the forest and told him to train there, until 7…non-stop. Well Ryuki, being the loyal and filial grandson that he was, did as he was told and trained from morning till evening. He only got back by following his keen sense of direction, which had been disoriented due to his exhausted state. Regardless, he was back home. It had never occurred to him to fly, but in his tired state, he would've crashed through the roof and then some. Oh well…he was looking forward to a nice warm shower or bath as the case may be. He still hated water, but he didn't mind baths as long as his head didn't end up under. He smelt bad so a bath was good idea.

As he was reaching out towards the door knob, Takada burst out and stopped him, "Woah! Woah! What do you think you're doing?"

"Um…going inside?" Ryuki answered tiredly.

"Smelling and looking like that?" Takada pointed out. There was dirt all over Ryuki's gi and he was sweating profusely. "Take a bath in the dojo out back, okay?" he slipped back into the house, "Bye!"

Ryuki scratched his head and shrugged, too tired to disagree, he went in the back and into the Dojo to take a shower or a bath…badly.

* * *

(Inside)

Takada leaned against the door and sighed in relief. The surprise was nearly spoilt. Luckily, Takada was able to do interference.

"Is he home yet?" Jinx asked eagerly, dressed in a black tank top and matching skirt with tattered ends. She still had on her trademark striped stockings and her hair had been pulled back in a braid. Around her neck was a blue choker with a dangling blue gem. She also wore some bracelets with pink gems imbedded in them. Dressed in a simple blue shirt and jeans, Takada felt underdressed.

"He is," Takada assured her, "Told him to go take a bath in the Dojo."

"Good," she smiled, "We can't let him see his surprise…yet."

* * *

(Dojo's Bathroom)

Ryuki sighed as he soaked in the warm water within a wooden bathtub. When Jinx had helped him overcome his fear of water, they had taken a bath here together. The memory brought a blush and a smile to the Dragon Knight's face. Jinx's natural beauty was so…her bubblegum pink hair and her fair skin were so…she was a goddess in his eyes if he ever did see one.

The temperature of the tub began to rise and fall, most probably caused by the Knight's fluctuating fire and ice powers. I guess the memory got to him…in more ways than one, evident by the steam practically escaping from his ears.

He got out of the tub and dried off. He noticed a basket of clean clothes on the rack. He took the clothes out and put them on. He was now wearing a red short sleeved Chinese shirt with black slacks. He ties of the shirt were gold. He also had on a pair of black arm bands. He pulled his hair into a braid and went out, slipping on his slippers on his way out.

* * *

(8.00 pm)

Ryuki pushed the door open and walked inside. He noticed that the entire living room was dark, pitch black. As he was about to focus his eyes, the lights suddenly came alive.

"SURPRISE!"

"Waah!" Ryuki jumped. Right in front of him were ALL his friends and family. There were decorations and there was also a table filled with food.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY RYUKI/LEO!" all the guests cheered.

"Guys!" Ryuki blinked, "You remembered, even when I didn't!"

"I know," Jinx sidled up to her boyfriend, looking at him with lidded eyes, her pink eyes shining, "Your grandmother told us this morning when you were out." She pouted, "How could you not tell me?"

"Sorry," he shrugged, "Slipped my mind."

"Anyway," she pulled him in, "It's your party and now that you're here…" she threw up her arms, "LET'S PARTY!"

There was an uproar of agreements from the guests, whom Ryuki recognized and some that he didn't. The music started up.

NOW it was a party!

"Cool party, dude!" Jake said with a glass of soda in his hand.

"Jake my man!" Ryuki greeted, "You came!"

"Yeah," he shrugged, "Anna and Genkai let us go so we could come!" he smirked cockily, "Hey, it ain't no party till the Am-Drag is in the house, yo!"

"What's the dilly-o!" A boy wearing a green snow-cap, black and orange shirt with brown pants, and an African American girl with her black hair in buns, looking amazingly like Bumblebee, wearing a purple t-shirt and black pants walked up behind Jake. These were Jake's best friends, Spud and Trixie.

"Slamming party!" Trixie said.

"Spud, Trixie, you came too!" Ryuki said happily.

"Hey, wouldn't missed it for the world," Trixie said proudly.

"And there's a shiz-niz of food!" Spud said in between bites.

Jinx cleared her throat.

"Oh, sorry," Ryuki apologized to her and then introduced her, "Spud, Trixie, this is my girlfriend Jennifer Wilcox."

"How d'ya do!" Trixie whistled, "That's some crazy hair!"

"Will you go out with me?" Spud asked dumbly.

Jinx said to Trixie, "Thanks." And then to Spud, "No, I'm seeing someone."

"Okay…" he noticed some of the other girls, "Excuse me." He shouted, "He girls! Who wants a piece of 'The Spud'?"

"The Spud?" Jinx questioned.

The other three groaned, "Don't ask…"

(BTW, nearly all the girls in Ryuki's old class are fluent in English…)

"Hey Jake!" June went up to them. She then pecked the Chinese boy on the cheek. Ryuki gasped.

"Jake? June?" he was shocked, "When did THIS happen?"

"At the training camp," June smiled, "Jake was just so sweet," she added, "Even though I can't understand half the things he says."

"Hey, don't be dissin the Am-Drag's lingo!" Jake crossed his arms.

"See…but it's still cute!" June giggled.

"June…" Jake groaned.

"Come on Jake!" June pulled his arm, "Let's dance! Plus I wanna introduce you to my friends." She pulled him away.

"Looks like Jake got himself lucky," Trixie grinned. She then saw Spud attempts at flirting, emphasis on 'attempt'. "Excuse me." She walked away.

"They seem nice," Jinx commented.

"Yeah, in New York, we were the best of friends," Ryuki slung his arm over her shoulders. "So…you get me anything special?" he said huskily, nearly like a growl.

"Well I…" Jinx began.

"OH LEO!" said a shrill voice. Jinx moaned. It was Ayase, "Happy birthday!" the blonde haired heiress nearly squealed.

"Thanks Ayase!" Ryuki smiled. Jinx glowered.

The blonde haired girl was in a stylish red dress and had her hands behind her back, "Guess what I got you?"

"Hm…" Ryuki tapped his chin, "I dunno."

"You'll find out soon enough…handsome," she batted her eyes at him before walking away.

"Tramp," Jinx muttered.

Meanwhile, Ichijyo and Raven were talking to Danny. With Danny was a girl with black hair pulled up in a topknot, wearing Goth clothes and an African American boy with glasses and a baret wearing a yellow shirt and green cargos. Ladies and gents: Sam Manson and Tucker Foley. Raven was wearing a midriff blue top with a black raven on the front with black jeans while Ichijyo wore a black turtleneck shirt with short sleeves and matching slacks.

"Sweet party Danny! Thanks for inviting me!" He noticed Trixie. "Excuse me while 'the Tuck' does his thang!" he ran off to the direction of Trixie.

"The Tuck?" Raven questioned.

"Tucker has attempted to try and get dates for a very…LONG time," Sam answered, exasperated.

An African American girl with curly hair and a yellow head band walked up behind Sam. She shook her head. She wore a yellow top with a red skirt. This was Valerie Grey…another honorary Smart Brain Operative, aside from Danny of course. She was also a junior ghost hunter, but still an affective one at that.

"No matter how many times I see him get burned, I just keep feeling sorry for him," she shook her head.

"Pity," Ichijyo agreed, "Didn't Ryan get an invitation?"

"Oh, Ryan and Ember are touring the Ghost Zone, spreading their music together," Danny replied.

"It's kinda romantic…if you're into that kind of stuff, I mean," Sam added.

"Yeah…romance is so over rated…" Raven agreed.

"Oh, I wouldn't say that, luv," Ichijyo blew into Raven's ear, making her shudder. She threw her drink in his face. The others laughed

"You better cool off," Raven smirked. Ichijyo wiped the punch off.

"Clever," he said.

"Fresh," she remarked.

Soon…more guests started to arrive. Kim and Ron came and so did Brick and Felix, bringing dates (Monique and Zita). Kazuo and Tarou (Zodiac Knight Tiger and Zodiac Knight Lion) also came, along with Ami and Yumi (Puffy AmiYumi). A girl shouted, "Oh my god! It's Puffy AmiYumi!" before fainting. It would seem that nearly ALL of the Knights friends and allies have come to attend.

Takada and Blackfire were mingling with Jenny (hologram disguise), Tuck, Brad and Sheldon (Silver Shell). Sheldon drooled and stared Blackfire up and down and was even more intrigued when he heard she was an 'authentic' alien. She was wearing a midriff black shirt and miniskirt with knee high boots. If he made even one dumb remark, which was certain, he would end up on the wrong end of a Blackbolt, courtesy of an alien powerhouse.

The party was soon in full swing when people started to dance. Ryuki danced with Jinx the whole time. Jinx glanced at Ayase and stuck out her tongue while Ayase dared murderous daggers at the hex caster. Luckily, the body guards were present to provide security to avoid anything bad from happening (ie: Catfights or food fights…or both)

Of course, what's a party without crashers?

The music came to a halt as two hooded figures jumped into the centre of the room. They were both clad in matching Ninja garbs and several of the guests thought they were the entertainment.

"Cool! Ninjas!" Tucker took some pictures.

Ryuki's eyes narrowed and he whispered into Ichijyo's ear, "Did you hire a show or something?" His friend shook his head. Ryuki muttered, "This could be bad."

"Is this a private party…" began the first one, who had a male voice.

"…or can anyone join?' the second one finished, who had a female voice.

"Major tweebs déjà vu," Kim said softly, reminded of the way her little brothers would finish each others sentences.

The two 'Ninjas' then stood up and pointed to everyone, standing back to back. They announced in unison, "We wish to challenge the ones named Ryuki Hasuma, Ichijyo Amakusa and Yoshiyuki Takada to a fight to the DEATH!"

This earned a few gasps from some of the guests.

"Wait a minute…" Takada muttered, "Where have I heard those voices before?"

"We know them, Takada," Ichijyo said to him, "We know them too well…"

"They sound…familiar," Ryuki added and then the trio of Knights shouted together:

"MIRAGE AND FAÇADE!"

The 'Ninjas' grinned under their masks and whipped out matching Zodiac Decks with the symbol of Gemini on them.

"ZODIAC FORCE OF GEMINI!" they both shouted in unison.

The Ninjas transformed and were now clad in matching green and black body armor that was based on a chameleon motif. Their helmets held large chameleon eyes. Attached to their left thighs were their card readers, shaped like chameleons. Mirage was the male one while Façade was the female one.

"We are…" Mirage began.

"…the Zodiac Knights of Gemini…" Façade continued.

"…MIRAGE AND FAÇADE!" they finished in unison.

(ZK Chromedragozoid: Who saw that coming? Okay…maybe anyone could've seen it a mile away…okay, maybe not.)

Nearly all the guest gasped. The Knights slapped themselves in the faces, groaning.

"Here we go again…" Ryuki groaned.

"We wish to challenge you…" Mirage began.

"…to restore our honor…" Façade continued.

"…so we may…" Mirage added.

"…rejoin the Black Knights Guild!" Façade finished.

Takada exploded, irritated, "CAN'T YOU TWO EVER TALK LIKE NORMAL PEOPLE?"

"Welcome to my world," Kim said sympathetically.

Mirage and Façade laughed cruelly. Ichijyo rolled his eyes. Seeing the guests, he decided to cast a little spell. He chanted and suddenly there was a bright flash of light, blinding everybody. When the light subsided…nearly everyone was fast asleep.

"What did you do?" Ryuki asked.

"I cast a little spell to put every non-magical human to sleep. Once they wake up, they won't remember a thing about Mirage or Façade."

"Good…" Ryuki grinned.

The ones that were still awake were Ryuki, Takada, Ichijyo, Felix, Brick, Ron, Kazuo, Tarou, Danny, June, Jenny, Jake, Jinx, Blackfire and Raven.

"You think…" Mirage began.

"…you can…" Façade continued.

"…DEFEAT US?" they finished together.

The heroes looked at one another and grinned.

"ZODIAC FORCE OF THE DRAGON/DOG/SNAKE/HORSE/PIG/MONKEY/TIGER/LEO!"

"I'M GOING SHOST!"

"DRAGON UP!"

Jenny dropped her disguise and June cracked her knuckles. Jinx's eyes glowed pink, Blackfire's eyes glowed violet and Raven's eyes glowed white, their hands glowing pink, violet and black with their powers.

The Chameleon Knights of Gemini were now surrounded and outnumbered.

Mirage and Façade gulped.

"Maybe…" Mirage began nervously.

"…this was not such…" Façade added.

"… a good idea," they finished together.

"You got that right," Draco stated.

* * *

(Some butt kicking later…)

Mirage and Façade were both blasted out of the mansion, right into the sky, screaming, "AAAAAAAAHHHH!"

"AND STAY OUT!" Pluto shouted, shaking his fist.

"Party crashers," Shadowcobra scoffed.

"Let's wake everybody up so that we can continue the party, kay?" Draco suggested.

Ichijyo removed his armor, "Good idea…I'll do it," He chanted another spell and the guests and bodyguards woke up.

It was now time for the cake…a quadrupled layer vanilla cake with strawberry icing and 18 candles arranged. Ryuki tapped his chin, thinking…what was he going to wish for? His eyes sparked and he blew the candles.

Time to eat cake and party!

The girls of 3-B began handing out their presents to Ryuki and he opened each one, smiling and saying, "Arigatou," To the girls. Next it was his teammates' turn.

"Wow! New Duel Monster cards!" Ryuki had opened Takada's present.

"It will go nicely with the new Duel Disk you just got from one of the girls," Takada said smiling.

He then opened a gift from Jake. It was a small antique dragon statue. He opened the next few gifts and was happy that he got so many from his friends. Finally, it was Jinx's gift. It was a small thin box. Wonder what it was? He looked to her and she smiled. He carefully tore off the wrapping paper. He lifted the top of the box up and he gasped.

"Jinx…?' he looked at her questionably and happy. He pulled out a pair of drumsticks. Ayase laughed.

"Drumsticks? You got him drumsticks?" she laughed aloud. "Hah! Those things are nothing compared to the gold bracelet I got him!"

He got up and hugged Jinx. Ayase's jaw dropped.

"Jinxy-chan…I love them," he said to her. She smiled and stuck her tongue out at Ayase, who glowered.

"Hey, that gives me an idea," Takada pulled out his bass guitar.

"For once, you have a good idea," Ichijyo smirked, holding up his electric guitar.

The trio went up on the stage where the sound system was and Ryuki's drum set already got set up. Ichijyo and Takada plugged in their guitars.

Takada shouted, "ARE YOU READY TO ROCK?"

This was met with an uproar of agreements.

Ichijyo smirked and began to play, singing a rock ballad. Takada supported on bass. Soon, in the middle of the song, it was Ryuki's turn to play a drum solo…while looking directly at Jinx and singing his part of the song. She swooned and she was not the only one.

When the song was over, everyone applauded and the trio bowed. Ryuki's mother and grandparents came just in time to give their presents and take pictures, including one of Ryuki and Jinx sharing a kiss.

* * *

The party lasted until after midnight. Ryuki was exhausted. The Ligers and Puffy AmiYumi also played some songs and Ron even sang his 'Naked Mole Rap' and then Kim sang, 'Say the Word'. Jake and his friends also played a song. Finally, June's band, the Short Angry Freuds, also played. The party had been fun, but all fun had to come to an end.

Ryuki yawned as he entered his room. There were no food fights or any catfights…just the fight with Mirage and Façade, ending up in the duo's embarrassing defeat. Well, now Ryuki wanted to get to bed. He turned on the lights.

"Good evening baby…" that was Jinx's voice. It sounded like a husky purr. Ryuki looked at the bed and his jaw dropped, crashing to the floor. There was his girlfriend, lying sideways on his bed in a sexy pose. She was clad (or barely clad as the case may be) in a lacy pink bra, panties and her trademark striped stockings. "Coming to bed? Your _real_ present is waiting for you…" she spoke sexily, blowing him a kiss and winking.

Ryuki slammed the door close and locked it before dimming the lights. He walked over to the bed.

Looks like the party was not over yet for the young Dragon Knight.

"Oh, Ryuki!" Jinx moaned.

To Be Continued…


	75. PT075: The Nightmare Returns

Part 75: The Nightmare Returns

As Ichijyo was finishing his paper work, he was pondering upon many things. Like how one simple thing like a robbery could turn into them having some of the toughest brutal battles they had ever been in. However, looking back at all of them, they all seemed to be a walk in the park compared to the nightmare they had faced a couple of years ago.

Bushydo…

He was like a machine of brutal destruction. They couldn't touch him and they couldn't even harm him. He was far more terrifying than any demon or dark god, even though he was commanded by one.

During the time when Shadow was training in the Black Knights Guild, he had seen Bushydo a couple of times, coming fourth only to receive an assignment from his master, Yoshido. During that time, he pitied anyone who had to face the assassin known as Bushydo. His reputation was terrifying; he had lived since the old days of Japan, in the time of the Samurais and Ninja Assassins.

Bushydo caught the interest of Yoshido when the Assassin killed a Zodiac Knight. When he did, Yoshido had granted him eternal youth and the God of Warriors had trained him personally.

He had mastered techniques that no one could and some that only Yoshido knew. He was a master assassin and never failed, except for that one assignment: He had been sent to kill Draco, Shadow and Pluto. Apparently, the two known as Pluto and Draco were getting in the way and Shadow was starting to become treacherous.

Shadow visibly shivered at the memory of that. If it weren't for the earthquake, they would probably have been dead then. It seemed that they just escaped by luck, not skill. Then again, he wondered what the outcome would be if they had to face him again. It wasn't going to be three-on-one like last time; he was part of a team now and had more allies to aid him if he needed the help.

Raven came into his office as she was dressed in her normal clothing, black leotard, blue cloak, the whole bit, "Are you ready to go?"

Shadow looked up from his desk and said, "I'm almost done Raven, just got to do a small report."

Raven nodded and decided to wait outside. She didn't want to distract him from his work, especially now that they were leaving. She thought it would be a good vacation, but it just turned out to be like it would be if she was still in Jump City.

If she wanted to face off against demons, psychopaths and prejudice against demons, she could have stayed in Jump City. She wondered if they would ever get a break of being superheroes. Sure, hearing that might be out of the question, but even superheroes had to take a break once in awhile.

The door to Shadow's office opened as he came out, "I'm done, let's go now."

Inside Shadow's office, everything seemed to be in place. However, a figure appeared in the window that overlooked the city of Tokyo. He was completely covered in the shadows, except for his bright green eyes.

The figure stepped out as he gained color. He had slightly tanned skin along with no hair. He wore a red leather vest that was left open to reveal his perfectly toned abs and chest. On his shoulders were light steel armored shoulder pads colored in black. A collar, which was red in the front and black in the back, jutted upwards to hide the lower half of his face. The collar was connected to a white neck guard. Red and white armored gauntlets adorned the arms. The white parts went straight down the middle of his forearm, cutting off just below the wrist as a black armored plate went down in a straight line where the white part of the gauntlet cut off, and stopped at the middle of the back of his hand while the rest of the gauntlets were red. He also wore a red belt connecting to a red armored codpiece. He wore white baggy pants that seemed to be very old and ancient in design with red and white knee high armored boots. The red went around at the edge until it connected, then the red went down the middle of the leg armor and stopped at the ankle and went around connecting the color. The rest of the leg armor was white.

He walked around the office, taking in everything as he could and as he did, he noticed that Shadow wasn't around. He could sense that the Snake Knight had left the building and was heading for the airport. He was hoping to catch the traitor in his office and kill him there, which would drag in the others.

"Looks like they're heading for the airport, too bad they'll never make it out of this country alive…or in one piece for that matter," said Bushydo in a deep intimidating voice.

* * *

The Titans had arrived at the airport where Shadow's private jet was awaiting to take them back to Jump City.

"It's gonna feel really good getting back home, you know that?" said Draco as he had an arm draped over Jinx's shoulders.

"Yeah, I know. I wonder how the others have been doing?" said Blackfire. She had wished that their trip to Tokyo was more of a vacation than a day at Titans Tower, but at least she got to see that the universe had things in it that she would never understand.

"Beast Boy's probably whining that he still doesn't have a new moped. Wait until we get back," said Pluto with a big grin on his face. He couldn't wait to see Beast Boy's face when the changeling got his new moped.

"There's our plane," said Shadow as he pointed to the jet with the SB emblem on it. But before they could get there, the plane exploded and the shockwave caused the glass to shatter inwards and the Titans to go flying backwards. The rest of the people that were there ran in a panic, screaming as they tried to get out of the building yelling things like "Terrorists!"

Shadow got up as his eyes widened, "There were pilots in there!"

"Oops, it appears I made a mistake," came a voice from behind Shadow and the others. The voice itself wasn't what made them freeze in fear, as to oppose of who it belonged to.

'_That voice! It couldn't be him!' _thought Draco as a terrifying feeling crept its way up his spine.

'_Oh please, let this be a nightmare!'_ Pluto silently begged, knowing fully well who that voice belonged to.

But alas, it wasn't a nightmare as they had hoped, because it was really happening. It became even more evident to them as they turned to confirm their own terror. It was _him_, the being that was standing before them was…

"Bushydo…" Shadow hissed.

"Ah, you remember even after all this time Shadow," said the assassin in mock appreciation.

"You're the one who did that!" yelled Draco as he realized what Bushydo had said.

"Yes I did, though I wasn't expecting anyone to be in there but the truth is I didn't care either way."

"You're a monster!" yelled Pluto as he got up and was ready for a fight.

"Flattery won't delay your death, but I believe your girlfriends will need your caring to for the moment."

Their eyes widened at what he had said. They looked over towards the girls and each of them ran towards them. They were limp but their pulse was strong indicating that they were still alive, just unconscious.

"I set off the explosion at that exact point so that your little squeezes would go unconscious," said Bushydo, "Just so that we won't be disturbed," as he stepped towards them. He had been waiting for this moment for along time and he would not allow them to get away this time.

"You'll pay for this!" yelled Draco as he got out his deck, the others followed suit as they transformed, "ZODIAC FORCE OF THE DRAGON!"

"ZODIAC FORCE OF THE DOG!"

"ZODIAC FORCE OF THE SNAKE!"

Red, blue and purple energy covered them and solidified into their Zodiac Armors.

Bushydo just smiled, "Don't think you will win like last time. This time, your luck has run out."

* * *

Outside of the airport, in front of the parking lot, everyone was getting out of their cars as they escorted someone to their plane, getting to their jobs as a pilot, worked at the food court, an airline stewardess, or working as security. Others, however, were getting in their cars and were driving off because of the opposite first reason, or that they were already done with whatever job they were doing.

One man in particular was getting out of his car. He wore a police uniform as it were accustomed for police to either be assigned or volunteer to do security at the airport. The truth was that no cop would EVER volunteer to become an airport security guard, so they were assigned to do the job. Most thought it was a way of saying 'you've been demoted' as most did. As it was how Kai had felt by getting stuck doing a boring job such as airport security. Sure it was better than getting shot at by a bunch of street gangs but it was very boring, "I wish something would happen." But as the old saying goes, 'be careful what you wish for' that was exactly what happened as Pluto got plowed into Kai's car. The alarm blared without fail for one moment until it began to die down, and the alarm no longer worked.

The security guard turned around slowly hoping it wasn't his car, "MY CAR!"

But as the being that plowed Pluto into the car stood, lifted the Dog Knight up by the head and threw him to the ground; that moment Kai decided that it would be best if he let the insurance company handle this.

Pluto jumped up quickly only to have the back of his helmet meet the cement as Bushydo gripped the Dog Knight by the faceplate and smashed his head into the ground.

Shadow lifted a car with telekinesis and used it to smash Bushydo with. The Zodiac Assassin just back jumped out of the way, as the car flew pass him and smashed into a crowd of people, sending pedestrians screaming for their lives as they ran as far away from the scene as possible.

Draco started to use the Power of the Ox, rushing forward as he was about to plow his fist straight into Bushydo's chest. The Zodiac Assassin just caught the punch and used the Dragon Knight's own momentum to throw him on his back.

Draco then used the power of the Scorpio to turn to sand. This was to lessen the damage that would have been inflicted upon his body and armor.

The sand swirled for a while until it moved to Pluto and Shadow, before reforming into Draco. They needed a plan and they needed one now. They were good before and had gotten better, they even had some new powers, but it seemed that it didn't matter at all. Bushydo seemed to know the weakness in their every attack. Even the ones they had developed during their fights with the other Knights and thus gaining their powers.

They were scared, well that was obvious considering the being they were facing was the same as before. Not to mention that this was the same being that nearly took their lives. The only reason they had escaped was because of an earthquake. It took down the entire building the Knights and Bushydo were fighting in. Bushydo was pinned under the rubble of the building while Shadow carried both Pluto and Draco out of the Mirror Dimension. Pluto was unconscious and Draco could hardly stand up because of the fight.

As the Knights tried to concoct a plan, Bushydo already knew why they were stalling. He had learnt many things under Yoshido and one of those things were reasons of why his opponents would stall. He knew how to get them to attack and forget about their plan.

"You know Knights; I have been observing the women you have. I think I'll take them rather than kill them, well most of them anyways," said Bushydo as he watched for their reactions. Since their faces were covered, it would be hard for anyone else to try and read their emotions, but as a true martial artist knows is that sometimes you can read someone by their movements rather than their facial expressions.

He apparently got what he wanted when he saw all of their fists tighten, so he continued, "You know it is too bad that they aren't virgins, I haven't had one in a very long time; but at least they would feel what its like to be with a real man rather than a few boys."

The Knights' fists clenched shut as they tried to control their anger. It was something they could do without any problem; but when facing a foe like this, it was hard even keeping their fear down.

Bushydo looked at Pluto before asking, "Your little sister is quite beautiful; I hear she's a virgin."

That apparently did it for all of them as they ran straight forward towards Bushydo with a yell.

Bushydo smiled. Anger was possibly the most dangerous thing to a martial artist, even more so to a Knight. It made them clumsy and caused mistakes to be made. It also clouds judgment and keeps their minds clouded. As long as he kept their anger fueled, then he would win this battle, if not then it didn't matter; for he would win anyway.

Pluto came into the fight as he raised his sword and brought it down on Bushydo, but Bushydo clamped his hands on the flat sides of the sword and used the momentum to fling Pluto to the side and into a parked car.

Shadow came in next as he created two katanas from the shadows and began to strike at Bushydo. The Zodiac Assassin dodged to the side and jumped over a leg sweep as he flipped and landed. Shadow was then kicked in the chest by Bushydo, causing him to lose his grip on his weapons. At that moment, Bushydo went into a series of punches as he finished it up with an uppercut that cracked Shadow's helmet slightly.

Draco came in with a spinning kick to Bushydo's head, which the Zodiac Assassin dodged by leaning his head slightly backwards. At that point, Draco's fist caught on fire as he began to thrust them forward at Bushydo.

Bushydo dodged them repeatedly as he tried not to touch the flames. The Assassin then turned around as he grabbed Pluto in midair and slammed him into Draco. The two tumbled for a while until they got off one another and continued the battle

During the entire battle, Bushydo noticed that these teenagers were taking the fight more seriously. There were no comebacks, no quick banters, or even jokes. It was serious and they treated him as a serious threat.

A Naginata seemed to appear out of nowhere in Pluto's hands. Pluto swung the Naginata down onto Bushydo, who blocked the blade with his steel gauntlet. He pushed Pluto back, but the Knight of Immortality just spun and struck the pole end of the Naginata out at Bushydo's stomach.

The Zodiac Assassin just stepped back as the attack never reached him. Draco came in with a series of punches and kicks that were being aided by Pluto's excellent wielding of the medieval Japanese weapon, but they were all either blocked or dodged. It was then that Bushydo ducked under a decapitating strike by Pluto. He then grabbed the pole and swung him into Draco as they were entangled onto each other. At that point, he rushed forward and jumped up with the Naginata and was about to bring the blade onto the two until Shadow used his ability to control the shadows to help them escape an otherwise grizzly death.

Bushydo's newly acquired weapon dissolved for some unforeseen reason but he quickly understood what happened, "Nanotechnology, very impressive."

Pluto just smirked, "You liked that, huh? Then you'll love this!"

As soon as Pluto said that his arm morphed into a cannon and before Bushydo could figure out what was going on, it shot out blue a lightning ball from the barrel. Bushydo was able to get his gauntlet up in time to absorb the attack, but the initial shockwave still came as the Zodiac Assassin was thrown backwards.

"As Cyborg would say, Booyah!" yelled Pluto as his arm shifted back into its original form.

Draco blinked in confusion as he said, "Uh, did we just win against the living nightmare?"

Bushydo slowly got up and the Knights got ready for another round as Shadow said, "Not by a long shot."

Bushydo stood and slowly began to walk forward, "I was caught off guard by that little maneuver. I had not realized you fused yourself with Nanotechnology, a foolish incident but a very brilliant one at that. However, don't think that because of that one little alteration you'll win. This fight is far from over boys. It is just beginning."

As he said this he closed his eyes and raised his hands and began doing various hand seals, he then stopped as his eyes opened before he spoke, "Kage Bushin No Jutsu."

At that point, two more Bushydos appeared and wasted no time in rushing forward to take on their own opponents. Shadow back flipped away from an aerial kick as Draco was sent flying in another direction by a failed attack to the Bushydo clone as he countered with a throw and finally Pluto ducked under a kick as he was to counter attacked with an uppercut until Bushydo's other foot came up and smashed into the face of his helmet.

Shadow dodged a high kick only to be set up as Bushydo spun in mid attack causing the kick to hit Shadow in the side of the head. He fell down but was able to catch himself. However, it didn't last long as the Zodiac Assassin smashed the bottom of his foot to Shadows back causing the Knight of Invisibility to yell out in pain.

Draco blocked a back fist strike and countered with a spinning roundhouse kick. Bushydo caught the attack in mid swing and raised the Knight of Combustion over his head to smash him down on the cement like a club. Draco was able to use his newfound ice ability to freeze the ground under Bushydo, causing Yoshido's favored assassin to slip as he lost his grip on Draco and was forced to keep himself from falling.

Pluto was thrown into the side of a car, which he went right through and crashed into a flower shop. The customers inside went into a panicked frenzy as they tried to escape whatever it was that was coming. Pluto got up with his vision slightly blurred and a stabbing pain at the side of his stomach.

As he gained his vision back, he saw Bushydo charge forward, but with not enough time to react the Knight of Immortality couldn't dodge and therefore his head was grabbed by the Zodiac Assassin and was smashed straight through the wall.

But he didn't stop just there. Bushydo plowed him through a few more walls until they were at the back of an alleyway. He still didn't stop as Pluto was rammed through another brick wall and into a Japanese McDonalds. His head was smashed against several computers and through another, through the glass window and into a parked car.

Shadow was thrown onto the ground as his back hit the pavement. He was battered and bruised in several places and was sure that a few bones had been broken and/or sprained. Shadows armor was cracked in several places and his helmet was completely destroyed as his face was visible and tuffs of hair were sticking. His bodysuit wasn't in any better shape as there were several cuts and gashes as blood seem to flow through one of the larger wounds. He got up as best he could and attacked Bushydo yet again, but the Zodiac Assassin merely caught the punch and flung him on his back with such force his armor shattered off completely.

Shadow tried to get up but a foot came down on his chest with such force it caused the Knight to cry out in pain, "AHHHHH."

Bushydo had a smile on his hidden face as he grinded his boot into Shadow's chest, knowing the amount of pain it was causing him. Of course, he refrained from putting too much pain into it less it turned into pleasure, as how masochists are; applying so much pain to a wound that it quickly changes to pleasure. He couldn't understand causing pain to yourself in feeling pleasure. However, causing as much pain to others to bring yourself pleasure was another story, and one that he enjoyed oh so often.

As Bushydo kept doing this, he turned his head to see his Shadow Clones to come forward. The first came in from an alleyway with Draco draped over his shoulder, his armor gone and body completely pulverized. The next one came in out a broken shop from a window, which he was dragging Pluto on the ground by the leg. His armor gone but unlike the others he didn't look to bad but that didn't mean he wasn't feeling any pain.

"This certainly brings back memories, doesn't it traitor?" asked Bushydo in a sadistic tone as he continued, "You under my heel like the last time that we encountered each other and this is exactly where you belong, under my heel." And to emphasize his point, he lifted the foot that was grinding into Shadow's chest but not enough to relieve him of the pain as the heel of his boot began to put pressure on Shadow's chest.

"Kill me…just don't harm…Raven," begged Shadow as he tried his best to talk through the pain he was feeling. He hated being in this position, having to beg for something, but now he had to; even if he died it didn't matter as long as Raven lived that was all that mattered to him.

"Oh I wish could Ichijyo, after all she IS quite attractive at that. Why, if I was just sent here to kill you and your two friends then I wouldn't; but you know the boss." Bushydo then dug his foot into Shadow to stop anymore pleading or begging attempts to save his love, "What would you gain for saving her at the cost of your life? Love perhaps? You mortals don't understand but I will make you understand before you die. Your love and passion is nothing but a lie. The word love was made up to give a higher meaning to the need of reproduction. All your love is is just the need and want of feeling flesh and pleasure against your body. It's the same with all people, aliens, lesbians, homosexuals, bisexuals, heterosexuals; they all feel the need to reproduce and feel the pleasure of another's flesh against their sexual organs."

"You're…wrong," said Shadow refusing to believe and ounce of what Bushydo said. He knew that it wasn't true. It was what most scientists and unemotional beings thought of what love was, but it was much deeper than that.

"Oh am I? Then tell me boy, why are you in love with another when your Misha died? If your love truly existed then you would not be in love with another, you would be alone throughout the world and nothing could change that," said Bushydo as he let go some of the pressure on Shadow's chest; not enough for him to get away or to relieve the pain, but just enough for him to answer.

But…he didn't answer; he didn't even have an answer and he doubted anyone else would. It was something that was most complicated and not many people ever wondered about it.

Before Shadow could ponder on it anymore, Bushydo took that time to cut off his train of thought by ramming his foot into his chest, "No answer? I thought so. That's because what I say is true: love does not exist. The closest you could come to is caring for someone; but when you're in danger you decide to save yourself. Few people will cling to a lie called love and die for it while others will be smart and take the chance to live and let the other person die."

"You're a…liar," said Shadow before he groaned in pain.

"Call me what you want boy: evil, sadistic or a liar as you said. But what I say about love is true."

"No…it's not."

Bushydo just chuckled and said, "In the immortal words of Sylvester Stallone in 'Judge Dredd', I knew you'd say that, but enough about your love, I have a message to deliver. Yoshido says that if you want live you shall do as you were told in the first place."

"Never…" Shadow hissed.

"Once again, 'I knew you'd say that,' and to be honest I was hoping you would," Bushydo raised his palm above Shadow's pained body as he continued, "Don't worry Shadow, you'll be joining your dearest Raven soon."

"AZARATH METRION ZINTHOS!"

Bushydo looked up to see a brick flying straight into his face, but he just leaned his head to the side as the brick missed him by a mile.

He looked at Raven before chuckling a bit as he said, "My, my, what's this? The girl has shown up to save the guy! Something is wrong here! Isn't it supposed to be the other way around?" as Bushydo said this he grinded his foot into Shadows chest causing him to yell out in pain as he continued, "Aren't you supposed to be in danger, so the foolish man under my boot can show up and save you and thereby get you to spread your legs for him?"

Raven gripped another brick with telekinesis as she flung it straight at Bushydo stomach, but the Zodiac Assassin just caught the brick and in the palm of his hand crushed it completely.

"More where those came from," said Raven levitating more bricks and a few more other items like lampposts and a car here and there.

"Do it Raven, forgot about me!" yelled Shadow as he waited for whatever Raven was going to do.

"Oh that old cliché!" chuckled Bushydo as he raised his foot and slammed it onto Shadow's chest again causing him to cry out in pain. This caused Raven to flinch at the sound.

"Leave him ALONE!" yelled Raven as she was about to chuck all of the stuff she was holding.

"I wouldn't do that if were you my dear. After all, you never know if those things will reach me in time before I crush his skull flat. So why don't you be a good little girl and…" Bushydo stopped in mid sentence as he realized something was wrong.

The other two girls weren't anywhere to be seen. They should have been here at the same time Raven was, but where were they?

And his answer came as he was blasted off of Shadow by a purple beam of energy that hit him the chest, which came out from a darkened alleyway. Bushydo back flipped before he landed in a crouched position. He looked up and saw Raven chuck everything she had in her telekinetic grip at Bushydo. He was about to dodge until he saw Jinx release a blast of Hex magic at the stuff, which caused some of them to explode, mainly the vehicles. The explosion sent Bushydo flying back into a building, thus causing the front to collapse on him.

At that moment, Raven and the others took the opportunity to rush to their boyfriends.

"Ryuki! Are you all right?" asked Jinx as she lifted Draco's head and placed it on her lap.

"Besides every part of my body hurting, as well as the inability to move or even breath without being in pain, I'm just peachy," replied Draco in a sarcastic tone. Even though he never spoke like this to Jinx, he just felt the need to be sarcastic.

"Sorry, standard question."

Blackfire lifted Pluto up by his shoulders, "Yoshi, are you going to be alright?"

"Gah! I hurt in places I didn't even know could hurt!" yelled Pluto as he gripped the side of his chest. He could feel as if there was a broken rib or two. Even though he was supposed to be immortal, Bushydo had a way of figuring out a way around that little problem. It wasn't surprising in the least. The Zodiac Assassin was able to use every single weakness in all of the Zodiac powers; not just the Chinese, but the Greek Zodiac powers as well.

"Shadow!" yelled Raven as she ran over to him and helped him up at best she could, "Why aren't you healing?"

"Bushydo stuck me…with some kind of poison that disables…my healing abilities. It should wear off in…an hour," said Shadow through the pain he was feeling.

In the area of the building that had fallen on top Bushydo, the debris suddenly burst up as the Zodiac Assassin came forward and landed a few feet away from them…without a scratch on him. They were expecting a very pissed off look and a glare beyond that of which they had ever received or seen before. Instead, they saw a calm face that seemed to be smiling at them. It was creeping them out.

"Well, well, the girls to the rescue I see. Any later and your boyfriends would have been dead," said Bushydo in a delighted tone.

"You're the one that's going to be dead for hurting Ryuki!" yelled Jinx as her eyes glowed pink.

"That goes double for me!" agreed Blackfire as her eyes began to glow a bright violet and she made two Blackbolts appear in each of her hands.

"Save some for me girls," said Raven as she let Shadow down gently. Her eyes glowed white and her hands became engulfed in obsidian energy.

"Very well then, if you're so eager to die, perhaps I can accommodate your request."

To Be Continued…

Dr. Evan owns Bushydo, BTW.


	76. PT076: Girl Power

Part 76: Girl Power

To say they were angry, mad, enraged or any other combination of the words that associate with anger would be an understatement. They were past upset, beyond angry, and even the word enraged could not describe the amount of hatred and anger they were feeling at this moment, but one thing was for certain: the girls were royally pissed off.

And in this case it was true as Bushydo was ducking, rolling, dodging, and jumping over hexes, punches, Blackbolts, and flying objects. While the Zodiac Assassin was very well trained and could assassinate a warlord in his own throne room while being guarded by thousands of elite warriors without being seen, he seemed to have some trouble not getting hit.

Bushydo jumped on top of a dumpster that was hurled at him by Blackfire. He used the object to propel himself at Raven. The front of his gauntlets protruded two sharp blades each that were at the same length as his forearms.

He slashed down only to have Raven create a shield around her to protect herself. He went down but not before grabbing Raven by the ankle when she let her shield down. He landed and went to slam her on the ground, but Raven was able to catch herself before she hit the pavement. Raven kicked her foot to get herself out of Bushydo's grasp and went into multiple spinning handstand kicks.

Bushydo blocked all of them and he caught one which he used to fling her into a fire hydrant, back first. Bushydo was going to advance on Raven until a part of the street was destroyed under Bushydo, causing him to fall into a very large pit created by Jinx and her hex magic.

Raven got up and looked at Jinx as she ran over to Raven to help her up. "Thanks," Raven muttered. But the celebration was short lived as Bushydo shot out of the pit, only to be hit in the chest by a Blackbolt from Blackfire. The Zodiac Assassin did a flip before he landed and ran in a zig zag, dodging a barrage of Blackbolts from Blackfire.

Bushydo ran towards a brick wall and up it, using his training and speed. He then threw himself off of the wall towards Blackfire. She tried to hit him in mid air, but he just kept twisting and dodging the Blackbolts.

He came flying towards her and as he did, Bushydo did a high kick to her chin that made her head snap up. Bushydo then spun in mid air as he kicked Blackfire in the stomach at an angle which sent her soaring to the ground.

Bushydo landed in a crouched position, before charging straight towards Blackfire. Just then Jinx and Raven stepped in front of Blackfire and threw their own attacks at him. Jinx threw her hexes and Raven gripped several objects and flung them towards Bushydo.

Bushydo stopped as he dodged and ducked under the attacks. He was being pinned down and held off till their boyfriends were able to get back into the fight. He wouldn't have it and would stop this here and now.

Bushydo ducked under a Blackbolt fire by Blackfire and as he did, he brought his hands together in various hand signals. He then finished it off by saying, "Katon Ryuuka no Jutsu."

At that moment, his body became surrounded by fire and every attack that was thrown at him then incinerated due to the intense heat. The fire stretched out in the form of a dragon's head and rushed toward the girls. At that point, Raven erected a dome shield to protect them, but it didn't do any good as the attack shattered the dome barrier as if it was glass. The fire enveloped them and their skin began to burn. They screamed out in pain.

As quickly as it had come, it ended with the girls falling down with several burn marks on their bodies.

Bushydo smirked as he walked over to the girls. The fight wasn't long and he wasn't surprised either. They were running on pure rage, adrenaline and anger and when fighting like that the battle tends to end even quicker. As he approached them, he eyed Blackfire and Jinx. Even though they seemed to be injured greatly and had several scorch marks on their skin, they still looked beautiful. Bushydo was a cold and ruthless assassin, even before Yoshido had found him. But even though he was ruthless and cold, he did enjoy the finer things in life, such as art, music, wine and women.

He seemed to have a thing for young girls between the ages of sixteen and twenty-two. Of course, he never was in any serious relationship with them, it was all about sex. Even beings such as him had urges and when he was not on a mission for Yoshido, training intensely, or observing those in the BKG, he was in his personal quarters with beautiful women.

Being the favored assassin under a God had its perks. He could have anything he wanted as long as he remained loyal. Of course, a person like Bushydo could not be bought, and his loyalty was to Yoshido, always and forever.

He looked down at the young girl Raven. It was a shame such an exquisite creature had to be eliminated. If it was a different situation, he would have taken her and offered her as a gift to Yoshido. Of course, he was still not lost as there was still Blackfire and Jinx. He would save them from death and offer one to Yoshido as a gift and keep the other girl for himself.

He picked Raven up by the hair; she tried to open her eyes to glare at this being…no monster would be the most accurate word, but she couldn't as she was in too much pain and wasn't able to move much without bringing harm to herself. She then felt a cold hand brush against her cheek. Her eyes opened slightly to see Bushydo, gazing at her for some reason and taking his time in killing her.

"You know, if you weren't such a threat to Master Yoshido, I would have offered you to him as a gift," said Bushydo as he ran his hand up her side, a part of her uniform was burnt off as she felt the cold steel of the gauntlet against her bare skin. The very feel of his touch made her skin crawl and the thought of being in the same bed as a God such as Yoshido made her sick to her stomach.

"Don't…touch her," hissed Shadowcobra as he tried to stand up. Even with the broken ribs and pain he was feeling, he was not going to stand idly by and let this happen.

"Why don't you try and stop me?" challenged Bushydo as he looked at Shadow. Shadow got into a battle stance only to fall down coughing up blood. Bushydo looked at Shadow with a satisfied smirk on his face and said, "Now, now, now, I can't have you die all by yourself. So why don't you just take a seat." And as if to emphasize his point, Bushydo raised his left hand and a wave telekinesis shot out, blowing Shadow down the street and impacting into the side of a truck, making a large dent.

Raven looked on in horror at this as her eyes began to glow white. Bushydo turned back to Raven only to be blasted back by the half demon.

Bushydo flipped in the air before he landed on the ground and saw Raven's body begin to glow. Bushydo had known a lot about demons and knew that all demons, half or otherwise, sometimes enter a state where their powers triple, but this could only be activated by an extreme amount of emotions.

And right now it would appear that Raven just triggered this state. She removed the pendant and let the power flow without restraint. Raven levitated into the air and, as she did, her soul self shot out and went straight towards Bushydo. At that moment Raven's soul self struck Bushydo with an uppercut that sent him into the air.

Bushydo came towards a building and was going to crash through it, but the Zodiac Assassin flipped towards the wall and landed where his feet met. He stood there for a second until he was sent into the ground by Raven's soul self. He was about to hit the ground until he was encased in a black ball of demonic energy. At that moment he couldn't move or speak, he was completely immobilized. Bushydo was then flung into the air towards Raven's soul self. She went into a spinning roundhouse side kick to the ball of black energy, which sent Bushydo flying down the street and into a building that was being planned for renovation. The building was destroyed in a blast of energy but luckily no one was in there and thus no one was harmed.

As the smoke cleared Bushydo was seen floating in the air slightly as an orb of blue energy surrounded him, which acted like a shield. The shield dispersed as Bushydo spoke, "That was very close."

As soon as he said that, a Blackbolt came careening into the scene and nearly hit Bushydo in the face, had he not ducked at the last moment. He looked to the source and saw Blackfire who was fully recovered and healed as well as Jinx and Raven.

"Titans, GO!" yelled Raven taking charge at the moment as they rushed forward ready to deal some pain to this being.

Blackfire came in firing Blackbolts at Bushydo who only continued to dodge every attack. She came in with an uppercut which was avoided by ducking. The Zodiac Assassin used one of his gauntlet blades like weapons and tried to stab Blackfire in the stomach, but her armor was tough, which was what stopped him, but he was still able to crack it. Blackfire was thrown back because of the blow only to have Jinx come in with a flying heel kick which was blocked. Jinx went into a series of punches and kicks until one actually connected, which knocked a tooth out of Bushydo mouth.

At that moment, Bushydo grabbed Jinx by the neck and began to squeeze the life out of her, but he was soon stopped as Blackfire fired a Blackbolt which exploded making him drop Jinx and stagger back a bit.

"Jinx, are you alright?" Blackfire asked in concern. Jinx gasped as she held her sore neck, taking in much needed air. Before Jinx could answer, Blackfire was sent into the air by a high kick from Bushydo. The Zodiac Assassin then slammed the kick down onto Jinx's chest, which was until she rolled out of the way.

She flung herself up only to have Bushydo grab one of her pigtails and forced her back into a knee strike at the base of her spine. She screamed, "Ahhhhh!" The amount of pain that she was feeling nearly made her pass out. She was then pushed forward and spun around to try and attack Bushydo, only to have a fist come in contact with her face knocking her out.

He then ducked under a blast of dark energy by Raven. As he did, he turned around and executed a viscous uppercut to the half demon sending her into the air. As she was airborne along with Bushydo, he spun in midair and delivered a heel kick to Raven's face, which made her fly into a shop window, destroying the front and become buried under glass.

He landed, only to have to dodge a fist aimed at his face by Blackfire. She tried to perform an uppercut, only to have to it cut off as Bushydo caught the fist and then slammed his head into her face. Blackfire recoiled in pain as a headache came, but was instantly forgotten as she felt as if her hand was being crushed. She looked at Bushydo for a moment until she cried out in pain as she heard a bone snap under the pressure.

"It's too bad your sister isn't still a virgin Blackfire, so hard to find one nowadays, wouldn't you agree?" asked Bushydo in a mocking tone as he kept her focused on the pain of him crushing her hand. The other hand he traced his index finger along her jaw line and said, "What a beautiful young woman you are. You and your sister would make excellent slaves for me and Yoshido."

Blackfire's eyes widened in horror at what he had said, but as soon as the fear made itself known, it was lost in an incredible amount of fury. Blackfire's eyes glowed purple as her eye beams fired into Bushydo's hand, forcing him to let go, right before she went into roundhouse kick that would've snapped his neck, if he was a normal mortal. Bushydo messaged his neck and laughed, "So, you like it rough, do you?"

Blackfire didn't answer as she just charged forward and tried to pummel Bushydo with furious attacks. Fueled by rage now and running on pure adrenaline, she tried to make him nothing more but a greasy smear on the front of her fists, but all he kept doing was dodging and blocking the blows with ease, not even bothering to retaliate.

"What's the matter? Can't hit me?" Bushydo taunted.

And just then Bushydo made a mistake as Blackfire fist collided with his face, sending him back a few steps. He spun around and retaliated with a right hook upper cut, but Blackfire just dodged it and slammed her fist into his stomach, which felt like a stone being thrown at him at two hundred miles an hour.

That was when the tables turned on Bushydo, as Blackfire pounded on him relentlessly and mercilessly. She wasn't giving up, even as she ignored the pain of her broken hand; she was going to bring the psychopath down. Or so she thought as Bushydo caught a punch aimed at his abdomen, he then pulled her into a knee strike to her stomach. Her fury gone and the adrenaline pumping through her body now dissipated, she felt the pain as the wind was knocked out of her. But soon enough, where she thought one blow would be enough, her attacker thought different as he began pounding on her like she had done him moments before. He didn't stop at all as he grabbed her by the face with the palm of his hand and rammed the back of her head into the cement.

But he still didn't stop as he began pummeling her face multiple times, not caring anymore if he damaged the beautiful face of the Tamaranean. When he stopped, he looked over her face with a sadistic and satisfied look on his face. It was apparent now that she wouldn't be getting up anytime soon.

Her entire face was bruised and her left eye was swollen shut. She had a busted upper lip, and a bruised bottom lip. Blood was seeping from the right corner of her mouth.

Bushydo reached for the neck collar that kept the lower half of his face hidden from sight and tore it off. His face was young and very hard as well. To think this man could be over thousands of years old was hard to believe; because he looked like was just entering his thirties.

Bushydo was able to taste a coppery taste in his mouth. He brought his hand up to his mouth and spat in the palm of his hand. What produced was blood mixed with saliva, the very sight of it angered the Zodiac Assassin…no, the word angered could not begin to describe the amount of hatred he held towards this girl at the moment.

"You stupid BITCH!" yelled Bushydo as he was about to finish her off.

"NOOO!" came a yell from behind.

He turned around and saw Shadow coming at him, it wasn't and intended attack, it was more of a tackle, but it caught his attention nevertheless. Of course the tackle didn't do much good, as Bushydo just grabbed Shadow by the arm and flung him onto the ground hard.

"It appears you can't wait to die then. Allow me to fulfill your wish," Bushyo said cruelly. But as soon as he said that, a fist came straight out of nowhere and connected with his jaw, making Bushydo go flying backwards as he was sent straight through a building and through several others along the line until he came to stop.

Shadow saw a figure standing over him. Though he couldn't make it out whom it was because his vision was blurred from the sudden meeting of his face with the concrete. However, he could tell that it wasn't Bushydo. The man knelt down and forced something into Shadow's mouth. In no position to resist he accepted it, and it seemed to be a tablet of some sort. The stranger said, "Eat it, it'll heal your wounds and negate the poison in your body."

The voice was that of an older man, he sounded kind, generous and trusting. At that point Shadow decided to take his word for it as he chewed the tablet. A watery substance came forward, it tasted sweet like honey. Shadow swallowed the juice, and that's when it happened. The pain went away as soon as he swallowed the liquid. He looked at his own battered body and found every bruise, scab and bone that was broken was completely healed.

He looked up to the man and saw that he was doing the same to Blackfire. He looked to be of Japanese decent; he had long white hair pulled up into a high ponytail by a dark brown band. He seemed to be in his mid-to-late thirties, with silver colored eyes. His body looked to be very rugged and also extremely well built, giving him the impression of a body builder. Actually you can make similar comparisons between this man's well built body and Superman's; if not maybe a bit more buffer. He wore a turquoise body suit with no sleeves, a black strap that went up his right chest holding a dark brown shoulder pad endowed with several Japanese symbols in light brown. Below the single shoulder pad was a red crest with a Japanese symbol in black. On each wrist was a brown wrist shield along with a Japanese symbol in light brown. The lower part of his body suit was turquoise until it met the thigh; it then changed to black and went all the way down. On his knees were brown knee guards and on the lower portion of his leg were brown leg guards. The last thing that finished the look off was his brown shoes. They looked to be normal, but something told him they weren't.

Blackfire's eyes slowly opened as she felt the pain was gone completely. She looked up and gasped at the person she was seeing, "Acro?"

To Be Continued…

Who is this Acro? Is he friend or foe? What are his attentions? Stay tune for the next chap to find out.


	77. PT077: Acro

I should mention something regarding Titans East. Venus and Moon used to share a room, but now both have a room each.

Part 77: Acro

Blackfire's eyes slowly opened as she felt the pain was gone completely. She looked up and gasped at the person she was seeing, "Acro?"

"It's been a long time, hasn't it Princess Komand'r?" the man, now identified as Acro, gently spoke. He asked, while helping her back to her feet, "How are you feeling?"

"Like I was put in a blender set on high," she shook the grogginess out of her head and cracked her neck, "But I'm okay now, thanks."

"I'm glad," he smiled, "I'm also glad that you're on the side of good now. How's your sister, Princess Koriand'r?"

"She's fine, by the way," Blackfire answered.

Shadow got up and didn't stick around to eavesdrop on the conversation. However, the name Acro sort of rang a bell in his memories. Ignoring it, he decided to go and heal the others before Bushydo returned to finish them off once and for all.

The Snake Knight searched for Raven and found her in the shop, buried under glass. He carefully lifted her out of the pile of glass and gasped. Raven was bleeding all over, her lushes legs now covered in gashes and cuts. There was glass in her arms as well. Carefully, he removed the glass splinters and went to work, healing his beloved maiden of darkness with his magic. He then took her out of the shop and kneeled down, holding his beloved within his arms. He whispered, "Raven? Raven?" Raven's eyes slowly fluttered open, "Are you alright, luv?" he asked, concerned.

"Besides being thrown into a window and getting my butt kicked, I'm absolutely fine," she said sarcastically before groaning in discomfort. Shadow smiled. This was the sarcastic Raven that he loved. Suddenly, Raven realized something and looked at Shadow, "Ichijyo! You're alright!" she then questioned, "But how?"

He claimed her lips with his and she couldn't help but close her eyes and kiss back. Breaking the kiss, he replied, "Let's just say we just gained another ally." Raven didn't understand what Shadow had meant until she turned to see Blackfire talking to a well built man, dressed in turquoise, black and brown, and with long white hair. She then realized what he meant. "Raven, we need to heal the others before Bushydo returns. Go find Jinx and I'll take care of the Fire Starter and Mutt."

"Okay," she nodded and flew off to heal Jinx.

Jinx was nearby, on the ground, completely knocked out. She had bruises every where, a particularly nasty one on her face and around her neck and who knows how many more hidden under her clothes. Raven brought her hands over the hex caster and concentrated, the blue glow sweeping over the pink haired girl. Jinx groaned and got up, shaking her head.

"I have a splitting headache…" Jinx said, moaning in pain. Raven smiled slightly.

"Welcome back to the land of the living, Jinx."

Shadow went over to where Draco and Pluto were. Pluto he didn't have to worry about since the Dog Knight's invulnerability stopped him from getting injured, but not getting in pain. His main concerns were on his friend, Draco. His hands glowed white and she touched his friend's body. The wounds disappeared and the Dragon Knight awakened, feeling rejuvenated. Draco yawned and looked around. He then muttered, "Oh right, it wasn't a dream." Shadow snickered and Ryuki asked, "What happened? Where's Bushydo?"

Shadow answered, "He's temporarily disabled, my friend." He went over to Pluto and knocked the Dog Knight upside the head. Pluto yelped and sat up, holding his head.

"OUCH!" he yelled, "That hurt you!" Shadow rolled his eyes, ignoring Pluto's complaints and whining. He stood up and then told the two, "You two better transform before our 'friend' decided to show up again."

Draco and Pluto knew what Shadow meant, so they called out their transformation commands.

"ZODIAC FORCE OF THE DRAGON!"

"ZODIAC FORCE OF THE DOG!"

"ZODIAC FORCE OF THE SNAKE!"

The Knights rejoined the girls, who were now standing around Acro. Blackfire hugged Pluto, glad he was okay and Jinx embraced her Dragon, glad that he was now unharmed. Shadowcobra extended a hand to Acro, "I'd like to thank you for the assistance." Acro smiled and took the Snake Knight's hand, his grip firm and commanding respect.

"Pleasure's all mine, Snake of Invisibility," Acro then acknowledged Draco and Pluto, "And to the both of you too Dragon of Combustion and Dog of Immortality."

"You know about us?" Draco questioned, but before Acro could answer, a menacing voice spoke, his tone sinister, vengeful and bloodthirsty.

"ACRO!" Bushydo screamed.

Acro sighed, "You all should stay back and let me handle this Assasin," he told them, but this was met with a lot of objection.

"Forget it!" Pluto barked.

"I'm gonna make him pay!" Draco growled.

"If you're going, so am I!" Shadowcobra hissed.

Jinx added, "He pulled my pigtails and hurt my baby!" Draco blushed at this since she was using his pet name.

"That jerk hurt my puppy!" Blackfire didn't mention what Bushydo had said to them, less she incur the wrath of her boyfriend, then again, "And he tried to make us all his concubines!" Raven nodded in agreement.

This was met with the boys yelling out in anger. Oh boy, now it was personal.

"HOW DARE HE?" The Knights shouted together. "HE'S DEAD MEAT!"

Bushydo roared and charged with gauntlet claws out, ready to slash them to pieces. Shadow anticipated this and took a commanding stance before shouting out, "TEEN TITANS! CHARGE!" he caught Acro looking at him with a quirked eyebrow, "What? It's catchy."

The Titans separated into teams of two: Pluto with Blackfire, Draco with Jinx, and Shadowcobra with Raven. Acro decided to stand back and see how these young ones did before he intervened.

Bushydo slashed out with his claws, but they got caught on Pluto's blade. Pluto then sent several thousand volts of electricity through his blade and into the evil Assassin, frying him inside out. He then flew up, his cape turning into bat wings, taking to the air and dropping back down. He let go of Bushydo, sending him crashing into the ground, forming a crater. Blackfire then pummeled the Assassin with dozens of Blackbolts. The Assassin yelled out as the blasts hit him, his exposed kin singed and scorched. He blocked the blasts and ran to impale Blackfire.

Suddenly, Bushydo was caught in a sandstorm, which was strange since there were no where in the desert. In reality, he was caught within Draco, who was using the power of Scorpio to morph into sand and whirled the assassin around. The intensity of the sandstorm increased as pink sparks passed through the sand, courtesy of Jinx. The sand cut through Bushydo's skin and got into his eyes, blinding him. Draco then reformed, dropping Bushydo, but then the Dragon Knight flew up, focusing upon the power of the Ox and rammed his fist violently into Bushydo's stomach before using another hand to freeze him in a block of ice. He threw the ice cold assassin upon the concrete, smashing the ice to pieces.

Bushydo got back up and glared hatefully at them. He advanced on them, but his hands and feet were soon caught in black energy. His legs were captured by shadow hands and his hands were covered by Raven's black energy. Shadow and Raven levitated nect to each other and Shadow said politely, "Raven luv, would you mind doing the honors?"

"Gladly," Raven grinned, looking slightly demonic and chanting, "Azarath, Metrion, ZINTHOS!" She fired a long blast of dark energy into Bushydo, sending him crashing into a plane, causing a dent. Shadow then helped put by summoning several shadows and solidifying them into sharp rapiers, 12 in total. He sent the rapiers at Bushydo, stabbing the Assassin, Bushydo roared and smacked the shadow rapiers away with his claws. He pulled himself out of the Bushydo shaped dent in the plane and his shoulders moved up and down. He was breathing hard, his eyes glowing in anger.

This time, the Knights weren't giving him anymore chances. Shadowcobra, Pluto and Draco drew their cards, which when arranged together correctly would reveal the golden silhouette of the Phoenix; the Survivor Cards. Acro watched, impressed that these three young ones were in the possession of the three Survivor Cards of Legend. The Knights quickly activated the cards, their normal card readers morphing into their Survivor Mode counterparts.

"**SURVIVE**!"

Red fire surrounded Draco as wind whirled around Pluto and darkness surrounded Shadowcobra, transforming them into…

"ZODIAC KNIGHT DRACO: SURVIVOR MODE!"

"ZODIAC KNIGHT PLUTO: SURVIVOR MODE!"

"ZODIAC KNIGHT SHADOWCOBRA: SURVIVOR MODE!"

The Knights stood proud in their golden trimmed battle armor. Bushydo was anything but impressed. These whelps fell at his hands ones and they will again.

I don't think so.

Bushydo roared and charged at them, but his feet met the concrete and it crumbled under his weight, sparks of pink showing through the cracks. Jinx giggled; it was all her doing.

"Oops, did I do that?" she purred in mock sweetness. Blackfire flew up and pelted him with Blackbolts before swooping down and smashing her fist across the Zodiac Assassin's face. She was probably still angry at Bushydo for trying to make her his personal whore and saying such horrible things about her sister. Her violet eyes glowed with intense energy and it was obviously fueled by rage.

Raven levitated a few of the loose pieces of concrete and flung them at Bushydo. Bushydo brought his arms around himself to protect himself, but ended up with some of his fingers broken. This had been Raven's plan for without his fingers, he was unable to perform the hand seals required for his techniques. She floated down and whispered to her lover, telepathically ((Finish him off))

Shadowcobra nodded and he ordered both Draco and Pluto, "Final Vent him, NOW!"

Draco and Pluto drew out their Final Vent cards and slid them into their Readers.

"SURVIVOR FINAL VENT!"

Both Dragonzer and Darkwing came flying in before transforming into Dragonrizer and Darkraider. Draco leapt up and landed on his dragon's back while Pluto did the same and held onto his bat. The other Zodiac Beasts of the Knights came. Wildcat, Razorclaw, Brainstorm, Hardhead and Overbite were the ones Draco summoned, unchanged, while Cerberus morphed into Cerberion and fused itself with Darkraider as spirit energy. The Knights and Beasts charged, both Dragonrizer and Darkraider morphed into their motorbike modes, with every intention of running Bushydo over. A stun beam fired by Darkraider froze the Assassin in place as they shouted out their attacks, racing towards Bushydo at ramming speed.

"DRAGON METEOR FIRESTORM!"

"DARK TORPEDO!"

Bushydo was pelted by meteors and lightning as the two Knights smashed right into him, sending him flying into the air because of the resulting explosion. This was the Snake Knight's cue.

"SURVIVOR FINAL VENT!" Shadowcobra's composite beast, Genocide-X, stood ready, giving its master a boost of power before Shadow leapt up, his cape spiraling around him to execute his attack, his spiraling body crackling with dark energy.

"SHADOW SPIRAL SHAVER!" the attack when right through Bushydo, creating a hole in the monster's body. There was blood and chunks of flesh flying every where as Bushydo dropped dead, hard, upon the hard concrete of the airport's runway.

The Knights transformed back to human form as their Final Vents took a lot of their remaining power away. They met up with the girls, panting and groaning, but smiling victoriously.

Acro applauded them, "Bravo! Congratulations! You three have smite him well."

Ryuki rubbed the back of his neck, blushing cutely in Jinx's opinion, "Thanks…whoever you are?"

Acro bowed, "Pardon me for not introducing myself. I am Acro of the Planet Gaijo. I came by to Earth for a visit to see the sights when I sensed a disturbance here at Narita Airport. To my surprise, you young ones were getting beaten quite badly, so I decided to help. I, like yourselves, am a hero, and like yourselves my duty is to protect the innocent."

Raven was skeptical of this guy, naturally, but she then senses that she could trust her. Shadow then questioned, "How do you know Blackfire?"

Blackfire answered, "Acro came to visit Tamaran a couple of times when I was younger, before I became a criminal."

Shadow nodded in understanding. Suddenly, his senses came on and he sensed that Bushydo was not dead yet.

Bushydo stood, even with a gaping hole in his body. Since he was Yoshido's best assassin, he was more than human, "Foolish…children…do you think you can stop…me? Heh, you don't stand a chance now for I will kill you…"

Pluto groaned, "This guy doesn't know when to quit."

Acro stepped forward, "Let me handle him and…" he turned to Jinx, "Do you mind if I borrow him?" he was referring to Draco. Jinx wasn't sure what to answer; she didn't want Draco to be put in danger anymore, but knowing that this could finish Bushydo off allowed it. "Sure." She said to her boyfriend, "Do you mind?"

Draco smiled, "Not at all."

"Be careful." She gave him a kiss.

Bushydo ran at them and Acro said to Draco, "You better use that Evolution card, since that's the only thing that can kill Bushydo." Before Draco could ask how Acro knew about that, the alien warrior rushed forward at superhuman speed.

Bushydo and Acro traded blows at superhuman speed, strength and intensity. Though heavily wounded, Bushydo was still relentless in his attacks. His fingers were disabled, but not his sharp blade claws. The assassin slashed at the Gaijoan, but Acro kneed the assassin in the side before delivering a palm strike to his head. Bushydo grunted and then said, softly to Acro, "I swear…by Yoshido-sama's name that I will kill those pups just like I killed your friends…"

This enraged Acro and his original kind expression turned vicious and bloodthirsty. It was either the mentioning of his friends' deaths or the God of Warrior's name that fueled him with anger. Regardless, Bushydo made the biggest mistake of his immortal and evil life.

He made Acro mad…and you wouldn't like it when Acro was mad, believe me…

With a roar of fury, Acro slammed his fists hard upon the back of Bushydo's head and the Zodiac Assassin's face met concrete. Acro then grabbed the back of Bushydo's head and like the Zodiac Assassin did to the Dog Knight, began pummeling the Zodiac Assassin's face into the ground, repeatedly, over and over again.

The Titans were shocked. It took all their strength to weaken Bushydo and Acro was now bashing him around like a rag doll. It was a good thing that Acro was an ally and not an enemy or else they would've been in serious trouble.

Meanwhile, Draco was drawing cards from his deck, searching for the Evolution Card. So far, he'd drawn his weapon summoning cards and monster summoning cards as well as a few upgrade cards. However, not once did he come across the Evolution Card. "Where is it?" he growled.

Bushydo swept Acro off his feet and was ready to stab the Gaijoan's face with his claws. Acro, flipped backwards and the claws imbedded themselves into the ground. Acro spun on his hands and smacked Bushydo with the side of his boots. The Assassin's claws snapped brown and he now had broken blades instead of long and deadly ones. Bushydo roared in anger. Acro smirked and said, "You know, while you were focusing on me, you forgot about…" Acro pointed behind Bushydo, "_Him_"

Draco drew the last card from his deck and gaped at it '_Yes!_' he cheered inwardly. The other Titans stared at him. Draco then slid the card into his gauntlet, which he had summoned.

**"EVOLUTION!"**

Like before during his fight with Scorpios, all his cards that littered the floor flew up and around him, glowing as his body glowed as well. Shadow and Pluto had never sensed such power and they were about to witness a gloriousevolution. Jinx's eyes widened as when the cards hit a certain part of Draco's body, armor formed. Soon, Draco stood in his gold and crimson armor, holding onto the Emperor Dragon Blade, also known as the EDB by Draco. "ZODIAC KNIGHT DRACO: EMPEROR MODE!" Draco announced. Bushydo's eyes widened. Since when did Draco gain that kind of power? He was then restrained by Acro who grabbed him in a 'Full Nelson' body hold.

Acro called out, "DRAGON KNIGHT! DO IT NOW!"

Bushydo howled, struggling, "You'll be destroyed too!"

"Will I?" Acro smirked.

Draco was hesitant, afraid that he would hurt Acro. However, seeing Acro's trusting gaze, he called forth his Zodiac Powers, one by one, "Empowerment of the Dragon, Ox, Scorpio, Capricorn and Pisces!" the power flowed into his blade as he looked up. He then shouted out, "EMPEROR DRAGON SLASH!" He slashed down his sword, sending a powerful beam of energy in the shape of a roaring dragon that swept over the ground like a wave of light. Acro restrained Bushydo until the last minute and flew away, leaving the Assassin to be torn to oblivion.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Bushydo screamed as the energy tore through his body, shredding the flesh off his bones, "MASTER! PLEASE...!" he screamed, but his screams soon faded as he was destroyed.

Draco dropped his sword, his shoulders heaving. His armor then shattered away, leaving him in human form. He dropped to his knees, exhausted. Jinx kneeled down next to him, "You okay, baby?" He looked at her through half lidded eyes and smiled.

"Just dandy…" he then rested himself in her arms before she laid him on the ground, his head resting on her lap.

Acro approached them and smiled, "It's good to see the younger generation using their powers for good."

Shadow was about to question Acro when his SNK-Phone rang. He took it out of his pocket, flipped it open and gasped. It was an S.O.S…from Titans Tower!

To Be Continued…

Acro belongs to Dr. Evans and so does Bushydo.

ZK Chromedragozoid: What's happening back at the Tower? Are the Titans under attack? Just wait for the next chap, I guarantee you'll love it!


	78. PT078: Under Siege

Part 78: Under Siege

( Jump City)

The Titans were at the local Jump City Youth Centre, hanging out outside of the Tower. With the addition of both DT and Renia, the crime rate had near plummeted. The only serious problem they had to deal with was Slade and Team Tartarus, whom had disappeared due to mysterious circumstances. Regardless, the Titans had time off and were going to use all the free time they had to hang out and have fun.

Beast Boy was playing a game of ping pong with Terra, Cyborg was introducing DT to the fine sport of 1-on-1 basketball, and Renia, Starfire and Robin were bowling.

CRASH!

"Sorry!" Starfire apologized. It would seem her attempt at bowling was slightly disastrous; she didn't know her own strength, and thus causing a lot of damage as the bowling ball was now lodged in the wall. Thankfully and fortunately, no one was hurt.

"It's okay, Star," said Sarah as she came over bringing drinks to the Titans, "It's not like you don't destroy stuff all the time, doing your job I mean."

"But I have broken the wall," Starfire was still apologetic. But Sarah assured her that it was okay.

"Let ME show you how it's done, Starfire," Renia said boastfully as she slipped her red leather jacket off. She picked up a bowling ball and stood at the front of the lane. She squinted both eyes and then threw the ball forward, allowing it to roll on the lane and towards the pins.

CRASH! All ten pins fell.

Renis cheered, "A perfect strike!" she snapped her fingers.

"Nice!" Robin complimented.

"It's all in the wrist, Robin," Renia said as she took her seat and took her drink, "Thanks, Sarah!"

"Oh, you're so cute!" Sarah ruffled the youngest Titan's hair. Renia took offence, but had decided to keep her temper in check and behave. Starfire observed Renia's technique and finally understood. She picked up another bowling ball and this time was ready. Robin and Renia were at the very edge of their seats, both literally and figuratively. Starfire took a deep breath and threw the ball…UPWARDS!

"DUCK AND COVER!" Renia shouted as the ball began…bouncing? Yes, it was bouncing off the walls! Robin threw himself over Starfire and they dropped to the ground. Sarah hid under the table to avoid the spherical projectile. Everyone else did the same, less they get hurt.

"HOW IS THAT THING BOUNCING OFF THE WALLS?" Robin demanded.

"BEATS ME!" Sarah shouted, "I JUST HELP OUT AROUND HERE!"

It was at that opportune moment that Cyborg chose to walk into the bowling area with DT. He said, "And that's why Jordan is better than Johnson!" DT nodded in understanding as Cyborg laughed merrily.

SMASH!

DT stood stunned and so did the rest of the patrons of the youth centre. Why? The ball was now in Cy's face. The ball rolled off and dropped on his foot. Cy's eyes swirled before he dropped to the floor with a crash.

Cyborg go BOOM!

"Vic!" Sarah ran over to her boyfriend. She kneeled down and looked into his swirling eyes. "How many fingers am I holding up?"

"BB…I told you no way am I eatin stinkin tofu…" he said in a dazed state. He shook his head vigorously, holding it and groaned, "What hit me?"

The other Titans hovered over him in a circle. Renia answered, "Starfire's bowling ball."

"Oh, I am sorry friend!" Starfire helped Cyborg up.

"Good thing my head is made of titanium," Cyborg joked as he tapped his temple with his fist. Sarah sighed in relief.

"You're alright, but the walls aren't," Beast Boy commented, making Star feel even worse.

"Beast Boy!" Robin scolded. Beast Boy hid behind Terra.

Sarah rubbed her temples yet smiled. So, the youth centre had holes in the wall; not like it didn't happen a lot, but with the Titans, damages were something that were no longer uncommon. They did it everyday while protecting the city. However, it'd be a good idea to have Starfire stay away from bowling balls from now on.

At least with Renia's help, they could now have the damage fixed. She used her Alchemy and the walls were good as new. Renia rubbed her tummy, "Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm hungry."

"Talking my language, girl!" Cyborg said happily, licking his lips.

"Nourishment is a very good idea, I might agree," DT nodded.

"Wanna come for some pizza, Sarah?" Cyborg offered. Sarah shook her head.

"Sorry Vic. No can do," Sarah shook her head. "I have to work, but maybe later tonight…"

"Dinner?"

"Uh huh."

The Titans rolled their eyes. Every time they came here, Cy and Sarah would flirt. It was a common thing to happen.

The Titans filed into the T-Car, DT riding shotgun, as they headed towards their usual pizza place. They did not notice that someone was spying on them and talking into a walkie-talkie, "They're headed for the pizza place."

(At the Pizza Place)

Of course, lunch was anything but quiet.

"I'm not eating meat!" Beast Boy complained, "I've been most of those animals! It's like eating your own brother or something!"

"How could you deny the all meat experience?" Cyborg asked.

"I'm a vegetarian!"

"The same thing every time," Robin groaned.

"Beast Boy…" Renia started, vein throbbing on her forehead as she growled, "Shut up or you'll be eating a knuckle sandwich!"

"Maybe we can make this easier by ordering TWO different pizzas?" DT suggested. Cyborg and Beast Boy were too busy arguing that the thought never occurred to them. "One meat and one veggie?"

"A marvelous suggestion friend DT," Starfire beamed.

"Finally," Renia scoffed, resting her head in her hand. Terra sighed. There would be no Beast Boy bashing today.

The Titans made their order and minutes later their pizza's came. Cyborg grinned and licked his lips, taking a slice of his pizza while Beast Boy had his with Terra. The other soon joined in, eating the pizza and drinking soda with no worries. When the last slice of pepperoni was left, Renia snarled.

"Back off, it's mine!" The Titans backed away as the table began to turn to crystal. Renia inhaled it and sighed, "The last slice is always the best."

Robin shook his head. Since the Knights joined, he had though that life couldn't get any crazier. Now with the additions of Double-Trouble and Renia the Crystal Alchemist, life for the Titans was becoming quite interesting. Suddenly, Robin received an alert on his communicator and so did the others. The communicators were connected to the computer, which would inform them if any crime was in progress. Robin said two words, "It's Adonis."

"Well, now he's gonna say…" Renia rolled her eyes.

"TITANS GO!"

Adonis was robbing the bank and showing off his strength by throwing cars and anything he could lift over his head at the police, who futilely tried to stop the armored behemoth. This time Adonis' suit was blue.

"I AM INVINCIBLE!" Adonis boasted loudly, "NO ONE CAN STOP ME!"

"How about 7?" Robin announced as he stood with the Titans before Adonis.

"Titans?" Adonis scoffed, "I've had some upgrades and you can't stop me!"

"Wanna bet?" Renia cracked her knuckles.

"TITANS! GO!"

"BRING IT ON!"

The Titans started their attack. DT called on his tank armor and began blasting at Adonis with his shoulder blaster. However, Adonis suit seem to be projecting some sort of force field as the shots bounced off. Robin got knocked away and Starfire's starbolts did little to no damage on Adonis. Beast Boy morphed into a stampeding buffalo as Terra flew at Adonis on a boulder, pelting him with the largest stones she could find with her powers. She even tried summoning a large rocky fist. Adonis smacked the rocks and Beast Boy away. Nothing seemed to work, until…

"Booyah!" Cyborg shouted, firing his sonic cannon. It would seem the blue sonic blast was disrupting Adonis' force field. Renia took the opportunity to sneak up on Adonis from behind. She had observed that the force field worked IN FRONT of Adonis, but what about the back? Concentrating, she turned her crystal hand into a sharp crystal blade and slashed at Adonis' back. Sparks flew, but Renia got what she wanted. Wires and circuit were exposed. Adonis looked over his shoulder.

"What are you doing?" he demanded, trying to hold up his force field.

"Just crossing some wires," she answered in mock sweetness. She yelled out, "Cyborg! Keep him busy!"

"Got it!" Cyborg rushed forward and punched at Adonis' face. Adonis grabbed the approaching fist and threw his own, which Cyborg caught. They pushed against each other. The other Titans watched this in anticipation as Renia shifted her hand back to normal and jammed it into the back of Adonis' robot suit. She concentrated and crystals began to form on the inside, covering the wires and circuits, short circuiting the suit in the process. Adonis felt his power failing as he threw Cyborg off. He whirled around and grabbed Renia by the lapels of her jacket.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE YOU LITTLE PIPSQUEAK?" he demanded angrily.

"Uh oh," Terra said fearfully.

"Did he just use 'little' and 'pipsqueak' in the same sentence in front of Renia?" Beast Boy gulped.

"He did," Robin said worriedly.

"It would seem that Renia will now open the big can of butt-whoop on Adonis," Starfire said.

"Y'know," Cyborg began, "I almost feel sorry for him."

DT added, "Almost."

Renia's eyes narrowed and flashed. "YOU DID NOT JUST CALL ME LITTLE!" she exploded, bringing up her hands to touch Adonis' arms. Adonis was shocked as his suits' arms started to turn to crystal. The crystallization traveled up all over his suit until it was now one literal crystal sculpture. Renia broke free and shattered off Adonis' arms at the same time. She then PUNCHED him in the face with her crystal hand, sending the little man in the suit flying out of his shattered suit. He fell to the ground. Renia grabbed him by the front of hi shirt and began pummeling him with her crystal hand, "DON'T (PUNCH!) EVER (PUNCH!) CALL (PUNCH!) ME (PUNCH!) LITTLE!" One last PUNCH and Adonis was sent flying high into the air. Starfire grabbed the now unconscious Adonis by his leg and floated down with him. Cyborg and Beast Boy (in gorilla form) held Renia back so she wouldn't use Adonis as a punching bag. Adonis was unconscious and had a broken nose, but nothing more. Surprisingly, Renia had been holding back, believe it or not. Adonis was taken in by the proper authorities. Robin was thinking of giving Renia a lecture about 'anger management' but the last time he did so…maybe it'd be best just to let her be. At least the criminals would think twice before doing anything wrong…Maybe they were more scared of Renia than all the Titans combined.

( Titans Tower)

The Titans stepped into the living room.

"That makes how many crooks that Renia has beaten up? 3?" Beast Boy asked, counting with his fingers. "4?"

"I think that was 5. Remember Private HIVE when he called her the 'L' word?" Terra reminded.

"Yeah," Beast Boy nodded, "I didn't know arms could bend that way."

"I don't think they're supposed to."

"And remember when Mad Mod tried to re-educate us with his crazy school AGAIN?" Robin reminded, "He called her something she didn't like and now is in a body cast."

"I show no mercy," Renia shrugged before setting herself on the sofa.

"And don't forget Control Freak," Cyborg added, "That guy now needs psychological help…"

"He screamed like a girl, didn't he?" DT asked.

"Yeah…" Renia picked her ear, "I still hear ringing."

"Friend Renia…do you not think that you go too far sometimes?" Starfire asked. Renia shrugged and shook her head.

"Tried anger management?" Beast Boy muttered.

"We tried," Robin rolled his eyes.

"The guy quit right after his session with Renia, didn't he?" Cyborg asked.

"He did," Robin rubbed her temples, "Good news, he didn't sue."

"What's the bad news?" Cyborg asked, dreading the answer.

"He's now in the psyche ward due to his experience with Renia…"

"And how is that the bad news?"

Robin shrugged.

DT sat down on the couch next to Renia. It would seem that the two new Titans had a lot in common. They both knew little of where they came from, well Renia did find out from Slade, of all people, and DT had only gotten the info he needed from that psycho, Copycay, who called him a Sabretron and those two winged assassin (Deathtron H.A.W.K.S) who called him prototype. Maybe…maybe that word held some information of his origins. He knew he was a cyborg…but the things inside him were alien. Maybe Copycat had been right…maybe he was a Sabretron…or a Deathtron…or whatever. When he had told the Titans about Dreadwind and Blackwing, they upgraded the security system to keep him safe. If the Deathtrons were after him, as his friends, they would protect him. Because, that's what friends are for.

The Titans had turned from being mere acquaintances, to friends and now…family…Maybe he could live his life here on Earth and help the Titans fight evil. Nothing would and could take him away from his friends.

I think others are thinking a little differently of our friend Double-Trouble's fate.

(Slade's Lair, Monitor Room)

Slade was with Commander Magnus. They were looking at Titans Tower through the many monitors.

"Are you ready?" Slade asked.

"Of course; remember our deal," Capt. Magnus stated.

"I help you get the 'prototype' and you help me destroy the Titans."

"Good," Capt. Magnus paused, "Are your troops ready?"

"They are," Slade answered before asking, "How about yours?"

"They are ready as well. They are set to attack when the clock strikes midnight, your time."

"Good…good…" Slade smiled under his mask, "The Titans will not know what hit them."

"And I will get my precious prototype as well."

(Later, that night)

Renia yawned. The Titans had been watching a movie, a tradition every Friday night. The movie was over. It was a sci-fi movie, Cyborg and DT's suggestion after Cy got back from his date with Sarah. It was the original 'Terminator' staring Arnold Schwarzenegger. Starfire had drooled when she saw a naked Arnold, but covered her eyes at the violence. Renia enjoyed it, a little too much, as she munched her popcorn and laughed at all of the explosions in the movie. Well, the movie was over and it was time to turn in.

"Goodnight, everyone," DT said, "I'm going to go to bed now."

The other Titans murmured, "G'night," or "Night." Before going to sleep in their own rooms. Both Renia and DT finally had their OWN rooms, making them now official members of the team.

None of the Titans realized that this may be their last night of restful sleep.

( Midnight)

Black humanoid shapes marched onto the island, coming from sleek black submarines baring the Deathtron symbol and Slade's emblem. Leading the army of Slade robots was none other than Copycat and Team Tartarus, all donned in their Zodiac Armors. Leading the Deathtron Androids were Dreadwind and Blackwing, the Deathtron H.A.W.K.S. Stepping out of the subs, finally, were both Slade and Magnus.

Slade and Magnus commanded at the same time, "Destroy the Tower."

The Slade-bots and Deathtron droids aimed their weapons and fired.

(Inside the Tower)

The Tower shook violently as the alarms blared. Immediately, the Titans were shocked awake and got out of bed, heading out of their rooms and into the living room. Cyborg turned on the monitor and stated the obvious, "We're being attacked!"

"From all sides!" DT added as he stared at the computer screen. The radar showed several red shapes, hostiles, surrounding the Tower. There were hundreds of them and from what Cyborg was looking at, firing at them. Starfire gasped.

"Deathtrons!" she shouted.

"And Slade's robots!" Robin added.

"What are we waiting for?" Renia shouted, running out, "Let's go kick butt and make these guys think twice of attacking OUR Tower."

"She's right!" DT agreed, donned in his tank armor, "These people should pay for attacking our home!" he ran after her. The other Titans nodded and ran out, leaving Beast Boy and Terra behind.

Beast Boy gulped, speaking nervously, "Can we vote on this?"

"Come on, Beast Boy!" Terra said as she pulled him by the arm, and kissing him full on the lips.

Beast Boy grinned before he moaned, "I can never win."

(Outside)

For the second time that day…or night…Robin shouted, "TITANS! GO!"

The Titans fought off the intruders relentlessly and violently, despite being woken up from their sleep. Robin used his Bo-staff and literally knocked the heads off the androids with his punches and kicks. He lobbed several explosive discs that either blew the droids up or froze them. A few shot at him, but he dodged each one or blocked as the situation saw it fit. He then jabbed the tip of his staff into the ground before he jumped up, spinning around and kicking at the droids.

Starfire let out a loud battle cry as she flew about, firing starbolts and eyeblasts. Several flying droids got too close and she punched through them with her fists before blasting a few with her eye blasts. Dreadwind and Blackwing saw this as intriguing.

"A Tamaranian," Blackwing smirked, "Interesting."

"Let me handle her!" Dreadwind said as he flew up.

"Save some of her for me!"

Cyborg blasted at the droids with his cannon and then he felt a shot in his back. He turned and saw ARMS with his sub-machine gun, aimed at Cyborg's bacl. Cy growled and ran at ARMS, fist out. He punched at the green Taurus Knight and the Knight countered with his own. The punches connected to their opponents' faces and pushed them back. Cyborg recovered first and began punching at ARMS repeatedly in the face and gut. The armor of ARMS began to dent as ARMS fell on his back. Cyborg aimed at ARMS with his cannon. "Goodnight," Cyborg said, but ARMS wasn't fazed. Instead, he pointed behind him. Cyborg raised an eyebrow,

"Look behind you," ARMS warned.

"That has got to be the oldest trick in the book!" Cyborg retorted, before he got blasted in the back by a missile, sending him flying and crashing over ARMS. Gigataurus' barrel was smoking. ARMS helped himself up and dusted his armor.

"Always watch your back, Cyborg," ARMS said before sliding a card into his gun, "Shoot Vent."

Beast Boy was fighting Scizzors, who was being backed up by Slade's robots. Beast Boy assumed the form of an alligator and snapped his jaws at Scizzors, but the Knight of Cancer turned himself to liquid form to dodge. Beast Boy then turned into an elephant and sucked it up before blowing it out of his trunk. Scizzors reverted to a solid state and went, "Eew…gross!" He was covered in snot.

"That's what you get for taking on a Titan!" Beast Boy boasted. He did not notice a few soldiers behind him, ready to fire.

"BEAST BOY! LOOK OUT!" Terra shouted before she flattened the soldiers with a large boulder. Scizzors eyes widened and he slipped away. "OH NO YOU DON'T!" she shouted and lifted the boulder up again and over Scizzors.

"Crap," Scizzors muttered before he got flattened. He slipped out from under the rock in liquid form before struggling to get up in solid form, "You'll pay for that," he threatened, turning his arms into large scythe blades.

Terra and Beast Boy: OH CRAP!"

Renia was surrounded by several droids who were shooting at her. She dodged each shot, causing them to shoot each other. She grinned, "Looks like Robin's training paid off!" she was grabbed from behind by a droid before she got dog-piled. Renia unleashed her power, turning the droids to crystal before she smashed herself out of the pile. She dusted off her gloves. "Should've seen that coming."

Copycat and Aqua ganged up on DT. Copycat had her claws out and Aqua was armed with her fans. They slashed at the Triple-Changer, making cuts in her armor. He shot at them with his wrist blasters, but the agile and acrobatic female Knight dodged each one. Copycat then kicked at DT's helmet covered head, sending him sprawling. Copycat stood over him, "THAT was for humiliating me!" she said. DT just remained quiet as his chest plate split open to reveal A CANNON. "Oh crud."

DT fired the cannon and sent the two flying. DT got up and crossed his bracelets, changing into his bat-armor before flying into the air to help Starfire against the flying androids.

Starfire continued blasting for all she was worth. She seemed to be growing tired as she was nearly shot in the back. Luckily, DT showed up just in time to slice the droid in half with his gauntlet blades. Starfire nodded, "Thank you."

"Oh… don't thank him yet, Tamaranian," Blackwing said menacingly as he flew up.

"Your problems have only begun to get worse," Dreadwind added. Starfire and DT looked at each other before nodding. The two Titans then attacked the H.A.W.K.S.

Robin thrashed the droids mercilessly. He heaved as he gathered his breath. It was at this moment that Slade stepped up to the plate. "Getting tired, Robin?"

"Not too tired to take YOU down!" With a karate yell, he vaulted up and aimed a kick at Slade but the madman bent back to avoid the hit before lifting up his fist and hitting Robin in the back. Robin was thrown back by the force of the hit and landed on the ground on all fours. He got up on his feet and ran at Slade. Slade shook his head and fired two fireballs at Robin, Robin ducked the blast and then when into a somersault, throwing himself up into the air and slamming Slade across his masked face with a roundhouse. Slade staggered and when he stabilized his footing, Robin attacked with an uppercut that snapped Slade's neck back. Slade, still immortal by the powers of Trigon, snapped his neck back up and cracked it to his side.

"Impressive Robin," he complimented, "But not good enough!" he flared up his hands and attacked Robin with flaming swipes and slashes.

Beast Boy took the form of an ankylosaur and smashed the tip of his tail down upon Scizzors like a hammer. Scizzors created a shield and blocked the strike. He was then smashed from behind by several boulders.

Cyborg was getting himself dog-piled by combination of both Slade-bots and Deathtron droids. With a roar, he fired both his sonic cannons into the air and fired two full concentrated beams of sonic power, blowing them away.

Starfire and DT blasted at Dreadwind and Blackwing while the two Deathtrons fliers blasted back. Starfire was growing exhausted and her eyes were ready to close from fighting too hard. She stopped blasting to gather her breath and Blackwing took the opportunity to tackle her into a tree, smashing in half and sending splinters everywhere. He hovered over the girl.

"You know…this is the first time I've seen a Tamaranean…tell me, are those stories of you being a sensual race true?" he enquired perversely. Starfire gasped at what he was suggesting and blasted him back with a concentrated eyebeam blast. Dreadwind shook his head at his brother's behavior before he resumed a dogfight with DT.

"Surrender, prototype!" Dreadwind demanded.

Renia used her alchemic skills to surround herself with rock spikes before using them as a sort of camouflage to block the droids view of her. They fired with their weapons, but she just used the spikes at shield. She ran about and fired and then jumped them, morphing her hand into a crystal mace and smashing them to the ground. She turned in time to place her hand to the ground and allowing her powers to flow around her and into the droids, turning them to crystal. She got back up and faltered, "Damn!" she had just sprained her ankle and she was hurting.

The Titans fought as hard as they could, but the number of opponents was massive. The Titans may have the power, but the enemy was slowly overpowering them with numbers and outlasting them. The Titans were only mortal and with mortality came fatigue. The island was littered with the bodies of destroyed Deathtron droids and Slade-bots. However, more kept coming to take the place of the fallen.

Robin was showing it as sweat fell from his temple. Slade was still standing firmly, with both Copycat and Aqua by his side after they fished themselves out of the water. Copycat lashed her claw out and grabbed Robin by his cape. He was too exhausted to avoid it before she punched him across the face, knocking him down.

"How the mighty have fallen," Slade commented.

"You haven't won yet," Robin seethed, picking himself up, but received a kick in the gut.

"Look around 'Boy Blunder'!" Aqua began.

"You already lost!" Copycat continued as she sidled up to her girlfriend. Robin attempted to get up but was forced down by a Slade-bot and Deathtron droid.

Starfire was blasted by a knockout blast from Blackwing, sending her crashing down. She was then surrounded by several droids and bots. She picked herself up and sent out a punch, only for a power inhibitor to snap on around her neck. The collar shocked her with electricity as the droids shot her with stun shots.

Cyborg looked at his arm. His meter was running low; he only had 6 percent of power left. He looked up and saw 15 Slade-bots and 10 Deathtron droids. They shot at him repeatedly and he fell down. 4 droids and 2 Slade-bots forced him down on his knees.

Terra was knocked down when a large and bulky Deathtron droid knocked her off her flying boulder. She got up, but got stunned in the back before a power inhibitor collar was snapped around her neck. The giant droid pushed her down on the ground, ceasing her movements and struggling.

"TERRA!" Beast Boy shouted, running at her, but an energy net covered him. He shifted into his most biggest animal forms, but the net adapted with him and then knocked him out with an electric shock. A power inhibitor was put on him.

DT and Renia were the only ones left standing. They heaved and panted.

"What do we do?" DT asked. His armor had disappeared as he had gone low on power.

"Fight!" Renia rushed forward, but the droids fired their stun guns at her. She dropped to the ground with a thud. DT went to help her but was then dog piled by bots and droids.

Magnus looked upon the prototype and sneered under his helmet. They had won and the Titans had lost.

The Titans were forced onto their knees in front of Slade and Magnus by ARMS, who used his magnetic powers to pull them by their collars or anything metal on them. Aqua, Copycat, Scizzors, the bots, and the rest of the Deathtrons stood in the back to savor their victory. Magnus looked down on DT and forced him to look up at him with his foot.

"You know…prototype, you've caused me a lot of trouble," he told DT.

"My name is DT…" DT retorted.

"DT…Double-Trouble…that was your project codename."

"What do you mean…?' DT questioned, demanding an explanation.

"Do you know who or what you really are?" Magnus chuckled, "Let me answer. You see…you were actually one of many Deathtron double-agents created for the sole purpose of infiltrating the Sabretrons during the great war of Orion; kidnapped from your home, brainwashed and re-programmed to do the Deathtrons bidding. Those bracelets you wear enable you to change into either a Sabretron form or a Deathtron form," DT looked at his bracelets as Magnus continued, "Of course, However, the project was aborted and the subjects put into stasis right after the War ended. The project was useless as soon as there was 'peace'." He finished.

The Titans had listened and looked to DT who was trying to absorb this. He was…a Deathtron?

"Well, now that we have you back, you can now do what you were programmed to do: destroy the Sabretrons from within," Magnus turned to Slade, "Thank you for your cooperation."

"It was my pleasure," Slade shrugged, "We were both after the same thing; the defeat of our enemies. It was the least I could do."

"Good," Magnus turned to his troops, "Take the prototype to the ship."

Slade added, "And destroy the Titans."

There was a brief silence hovering in the air. Was this the end of the Titans?

I don't think so.

Several missiles flew out of nowhere and blew up the surrounding droids and any other robotic soldier in the area. Team Tartarus, Slade and the Deathtrons looked around. Who was interfering with their plans?

Three flying machines hovered over the island. One was a blue assault chopper with a condor motif (Draco's Storm Chopper), the second one was a jet designed after a large black bat (Pluto's Darkwinger) and the third and last one was a stealth fighter in the form of a dark pink stingray (Shadowcobra's Stealth Stinger). The cockpits popped open and the pilots leapt out so fast that they were blurs within the smoke.

"You won't be taking anyone anywhere," hissed a voice.

"Or destroying anyone for that matter," growled another.

There was a lot of smoke, concealing the speakers. When the smoke subsided, standing before everyone was…

"ZODIAC KNIGHT SHADOWCOBRA, SNAKE KNIGHT OF INVISIBILITY!"

"ZODIAC KNIGHT DRACO, DRAGON KNIGHT OF COMBUSTION!"

"ZODIAC KNIGHT PLUTO, DOG KNIGHT OF IMMORTALITY!"

The three Knights stood in their armors and did 'Super Sentai' poses. Blackfire flew up behind them with Raven and Jinx walked up next to Draco.

"Watch out coz the cavalry has arrived!" Pluto announced, drawing his sword.

Slade and Magnus looked at one another before exploding with laughter.

"6 of you, against all of us?" Slade began.

"Are you insane? What can you do when your friends were defeated easily by all of us?" Magnus finished, laughing loudly as if this was the biggest joke in the world. The Deathtrons and Team Tartaurs joined in the laughter, except for Copycat. If she knew anything, she could expect ANYTHING from them.

"Who said only the SIX of us came?" Draco questioned.

A LARGE transport plane hovered over the island. It was a silver color and bore the Smart Brain emblem on the side. It lowered down slowly and landed.

Shadowcobra smirked as he shouted, "SMARTROOPERS! FALL IN!"

The cargo hold door then swung down and lowered to become a ramp. There was the sound of marching and motorcycles revving up. Suddenly, behind the Knights and the girls, were dozens of Smart Brain operatives, clad in black and silver armor and wearing insectoid styled helmets with blue oval shaped visors, marching or riding out of the transport plane. Around their waists were belts with black and silver buckles that resembled the emblem of Smart Brain Corporation. They were armed with laser rifles that bore the Smart Brain emblem. Most of them were on foot and several others were mounted on Desert Stinger motorcycles.

These were the best of the best. They were the Smartroopers.

Shadowcobra continued, "SMARTROOPERS! ATTACK!"

The Smartroopers let out a united cry and began charging forward, firing their rifles at the bots and droids. Several of them were riding Desert Stingers and ran over most of the enemy robotic soldiers while at the same time using the weapons built into their Desert Stingers. Magnus was too shocked for words as his entire army was being taken down. Slade was shocked too. He should have expected this, but didn't!

"TEAM TARTARUS! ATTACK!" Copycat commanded.

"I don't think so, sis! Not this time!" Draco spoke into his watch, "Jet Slinger…"

Shadowcobra added and spoke into his watch, "Shadow Basher…"

Pluto spoke into his watch, "Motor Majin…"

"COME HERE AND BATTLE/FLIGHT MODE!"

Their battle motorcycles came zooming out of the transport plane and into the scene before transforming into their alternate modes. Motor Majin transformed into a humanoid battle robot, carrying the front wheel like a shield and the back wheel was on its back. The head held a pair of antennae like extensions on the side and a black visor. The Shadow Basher became a tall robotic battle walker, the side car transforming into the legs while the wheels of the bike became the arms. The exhaust pipes on the back wheel (left arm) became the 6 photon cannons while the front wheel (right arm) became the claw. The Jet Slinger's wheels rolled onto their sides and it hovered in the air. Team Tartarus gulped.

"Maybe…we should rephrase that…" Copycat said fearfully.

The Motor Majin and Shadow Basher went into the air and fired their weapons, Motor Majin's being a gattling gun wheel and Shadow Basher's being 6 missiles that soon broke apart into 4 each. The Jet Slinger launched 8 sidewinder missiles. Team Tartarus ran away and several droids and bots became targets instead.

Shadowcobra saw ARMS and smirked, "Payback time." He leapt up onto Shadow Basher and manned the controls. He used the rockets in the legs to rush him forward. The claw hand of Shadow Basher grabbed onto the Knight of Taurus and lifted him up. ARMS was too preoccupied, he couldn't stay calm enough to use his magnetic abilities, which were useless anyway since the ZX-Riders were made with a non-magnetic alloy. In actuality, the ZX-Riders were made with Soul Metal, the same material that the Zodiac Armors were made of. It would seem that Smart Brain was able to duplicate and develop it.

"Hey!" ARMS shouted, "Let me go!" he flailed about. Right now, the Shadow Basher was flying over the water. Shadow smiled.

"Let you go? Okay!" Shadow prepared to let ARMS go, when the Knight of Taurus saw that they were above the water.

"Wait! I was only joking! Don't let me go! I'll sink in water!"

"Bye, bye!" Shadow laughed as he dropped ARMS. The Knight fell screaming into the water. "Payback really does feel good," Shadow dusted his hands off. "Now, we're even."

Pluto was surrounded. He grinned under his helmet, "Hey, wanna meet my dog?" he whistled, "Cyberdog! Come here!"

The robotic dog came running into the scene and leapt over the surrounding droids. Pluto caught Cyberdog, and said, "Cannon Blaster Mode!" Cyberdog's legs folded in and it opened its mouth as a handle popped out of its back. Pluto attached his DOG-Phone to Cyberdog, gripped and aimed, firing successful shots around him, blowing the enemy droids and bots up.

Draco leapt onto his Jet Slinger and rode the vehicle in the air, aiming his photon cannon at a large collection of enemies. He fired and they were obliterated. Several more enemies aimed their rifles at the Dragon Knight, but Draco locked on to them and fired all 16 of his missiles. The droids and bots were destroyed, sending metal shrapnel and circuitry every where on the island. He also drew out his DRA-Blaster before whispering into it, "Sniper mode." The blaster flashed, the viewing screen flipped open and the barrel extended before he aimed his blaster, locking onto his targets and firing at each of the droids and bots, hitting his mark. The targets blew up as they got shot. Some flying Deathtron droids were headed towards him. He simply locked onto his targets and fired his sidewinder missiles and blaster at them, blowing them to bits.

Raven went over to the other Titans, "You okay?" she asked, helping Robin up. Blackfire and Jinx helped the others up as well.

"You're…back?" Robin questioned.

"We got an SOS," Jinx answered.

"What SOS?" Terra groaned.

"Didn't you send an SOS?" Blackfire asked.

"Maybe it was the automatic alarm in the Tower. It must've sent an SOS to you guys," said Cyborg.

"Can you stand?" Jinx asked Cyborg.

"A little bit," he answered.

"I'm still a little sore," Beast Boy moaned.

"Oh, suck it up!" Renia snapped.

Raven saw that some of them were wearing power inhibitor collars and they all were tired. She watched as the Smartroopers gunned down the Deathtron droids and Slade-bots and smiled. She saw Blackwing and Dreadwind flying at her and then she chanted, "Azarath, Metrion, ZINTHOS!" she fired a concentrated dark blast at the two. Jinx and Blackfire joined in and fired their blasts. The power of Blackfire and Raven's blasts, added with the unpredictable nature of Jinx's, sent the two H.A.W.K.S. flying high into the air, never to be seen again. The Titans then had the power inhibitors removed. Robin then shouted out, "TITANS! GO!"

Blackfire and Starfire blasted with energy bolts as Terra floated up on a boulder and started throwing rocks. Beast Boy morphed into a mammoth and started smashing the droids with his large feet, smacking them his trunk and impaling them on his tusks. Cyborg blasted with his sonic cannon. Raven chanted and crushed the droids with dark energy while Renia turned them to crystal. Jinx attacked with her hexes that short circuited the bots and droids before they blew up. Robin threw his explosives at the droids and knocked a few heads off with his staff, sending them rolling.

"I see you're ready to fight again," Slade said as he approached Robin. Robin gripped his staff tightly.

"I'm always ready," Robin said as he narrowed his eyes. Both long time adversaries yelled out their battle cries and charged at each other, trading blows. Slade flamed up his hands and tried to strike Robin, but the Boy Wonder was able to dodge and block the strikes before fighting back with his own staff swings.

Copycat, Aqua, Scizzors and ARMS (who was fished out of the water by Aqua) charged in and fought with the Titans. ARMS took on Cyborg and Jinx, Copycat took on Terra and Raven, Aqua took on the Tamaraneans and Scizzors took on Beast Boy and Renia.

ARMS aimed his missile launcher at Cyborg and Cyborg aimed his sonic cannon at ARMS. They both fired at the same time, but Jinx aimed a hex at the missile that ARMS fired and the projectile did a perfect U-turn and slammed into ARMS, blowing him up.

Copycat faced against Terra and Raven. The geomancer and sorceress then combined their powers. Terra summoned up some rock spikes and Raven sent them flying at Copycat with a chant of, "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" Copycat lashed out with her claws and sliced the spikes to bits. As she was about to slice the two Titans to tiny pieces, two boulders flew at her from opposite sides before she was smashed in between.

Aqua was using her fans and slashed them out at the sisters. Blackfire and Starfire dodged the assassin's slashes before they both punched Aqua in the face. Aqua recovered from the impact and then summoned up a water funnel to drown her two alien opponents. Starfire and Blackfire then combined their blasts and Aqua was thrown away by a green and violet blast of energy.

Scizzors eluded both Renia and Beast Boy by turning himself into liquid metal. When he got the chance, he quickly reformed and turned his hands into large battle axes. Beast Boy turned into a dog and began digging, throwing dirt and mud into Scizzors' face. The Cancer Knight was momentarily distracted by this move and the last thing he saw was a shining crystal fist before he was sent flying by a punch.

Magnus watched in shock. How could this happen? Pretty easy, actually since he underestimated his opponents. The Knights surrounded Magnus. The Deathtron Captain was going to meet his end.

Magnus fired energy blasts at the Knight, but they dodged, except Pluto who got thrown into the air, but was able to right himself just in time to send an electro-bolt at Magnus. Magnus smacked the bolt away and fired a fireball at Pluto, who crashed into the ground. Pluto groaned, "Ow."

"Let's shake things up!" Draco used his newly acquired to earth manipulation powers to create a pair of rock fists that slammed down on Magnus, Magnus easily smashed through them before he attacked the Dragon knight relentlessly, grabbing him by his helmet covered head and slamming his knee into Draco's gut before kicking him away.

Shadow then narrowed his eyes at Magnus. Out of Draco and Pluto's earshot he announced, "As Commander of the Deathtron Secret Police, I hereby put you under arrest for violation of the Deathtron/Sabretron Treaty."

Magnus laughed, "Treaty? That piece of worthless parchment? Don't make me laugh!" Magnus rushed over and punched Shadow, but the Shadow manipulator phased through it, angering Magnus. Magnus then charged up the horns of his helmet and sent a charge through Shadow. He continued to mock him, "I don't care about THAT treaty! Sooner or later, the Deathtrons will rise again and this worthless dust ball will be OURS!"

Shadow smirked under his helmet when he noticed a certain Triple-Changer, coming up from behind Magnus. Shadow laughed, "You really think so, do you?"

Magnus was about to question what Shadow meant when he was flung forward violently by a charged energy blast. Turning around, he was DT, clad in his tank/Sabretronian armor.

"That was for attacking my friends!" DT said angrily. Magnus picked himself up, but then stumbled. He looked down and saw that his feet had been frozen. Draco stood up.

"Cold enough for you?" Draco asked before drawing out his gun. Pluto and Shadow got up too. The three of them pressed the buttons on their SB-Watches.

"Dash On!"-Pluto

"Clock Up!-Shadowcobra

Axel Start Up!"-Draco

The trio of Zodiac Knights had activated their speed up systems, the Excel Streams glowing brightly (In Draco's case, his red Excel Streams turn silver and his green eyepieces turned red), and now all time around them froze. This time, Magnus was a sitting duck.

After the Knights equipped their gear with their individual Keys, Pluto attached his DOG-Torch to his boot as Shadow connected the SNK-Double Scope to his. Draco readied his DRA-Blaster. Shadow drew Genosnaker, Pluto drew Cerberus and Draco drew Dragonzer before they slid their monster cards into their belt buckles. Shadow and Pluto pressed buttons on their SB-Watches while Draco whispered the word, "Kick," into the DRA-Blaster. The energy flowed from their belt buckles to their individual weapons.

"Excel Charge," Pluto's DOG-Torch flashed.

"Excel Charge," Shadow's SNK-Double flashed.

"Excel Charge," Draco's DRA-Blaster flashed.

Pluto and Shadow leapt up while Draco aimed his DRA-Blaster, firing their respectively colored energy drills. Magnus got pinned and immobilized. There was no where to run for the evil Captain. Draco attached his blaster to his right boot before he leapt up and kicked both his legs out as Shadow and Pluto extended theirs.

"HELL DRILL STRIKER!"-Pluto.

"GENO DRILL STRIKER!"-Shadowcobra.

"DRAGON'S HAMMER!"-Draco.

The Knights connected with their drills and plowed right through Magnus. Magnus let out a scream as he exploded into oblivion.

"Dash Out."-Pluto.

"Clock Over."-Shadowcobra.

"Time Over."-Draco.

Their armors deactivated.

Shadow went over to DT and they shook hands. DT whispered, "Your secret is safe with me." DT must've heard when Shadow tried to put Magnus under arrest, thus discovering his identity as the Commander of the D.S.P.

The remaining Deathtron soldiers saw that their leader had been destroyed. They screamed, "Retreat!" and teleported out of the area, knowing they had been beaten. Team Tartarus saw this too and Copycat sneered under her helmet. She shouted, "Team Tartarus! Let's get out of here!" before she teleported herself and her team away.

Slade saw that the odds were no longer in his favor. So, with a final bow he said to Robin, "Another time perhaps Robin," before he teleported himself away.

"WE WON!" Renia shouted, throwing up her arms and then wincing, "Ow…"

Shadow looked up into the sky, "Not yet…"

(In Space, orbiting Earth)

Magnus' Lieutenant had seen everything. Before he could issue an attack on Earth, the ship shook. He demanded, "What is going on?" one of the Deathtrons manning the radar said, "We are surrounded." He looked nervous.

"Show it on the monitor!" the LT ordered and the monitor lit up, revealing an armada of JLU Javelins surrounding the ship. "Oh slag…" the LT groaned.

Shadow smirked, "Now we have."

The other Titans surrounded their friends who had just returned, just in time, and started asking them questions, until Draco said, "Woah, woah," he raised up his hands, "One at a time!"

"Did you bring us any souvenirs?" Beast Boy asked hopefully. Draco smirked.

"Well…" the Dragon Knight raised his hand and produced a snowball. "Think fast!" before throwing it at Beast Boy. The ball hit the changeling dead on and Draco laughed.

"Dude!" Beast Boy exclaimed as he wiped the snow off. "How did you do THAT?"

Draco grinned, "It's a long story."

"And about those souvenirs…check it out," Pluto said as several Smartroopers pushed a crate in front of Beast Boy. Pluto opened the crate and there before Beast Boy was his moped. "Here, BB."

It was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen, next to Terra of course. Beast Boy immediately fell to his knees and kissed Pluto's feet, "THANK YOU! THANK YOU! I AM NOT WORTHY!"

"Get up," Shadow hissed, "You're embarrassing yourself." He kicked away a Slade-bot's head like a soccer ball.

"Well…we're back, now what?" Draco asked.

Suddenly, a large ship hovered over the Tower, casting a shadow. The Titans tensed up, but Shadow wasn't afraid; seeing the red symbol in the form of a wolf's face.

"It's okay," Shadow said, "They're friends."

"Who are they?" Robin asked.

"That is the symbol of the Sabretrons!" Starfire gasped. She recognized it from the history archives on her planet. Draco's eyes narrowed. Sabretrons, where had he heard that word before?

A beam came down from the ship and a man clad in red armor, bearing the Sabretron symbol on his chest, and wearing a blue helmet floated down. The Smartroopers aimed their weapons, but Shadow ordered them to stand down. The Sabretron stepped out of the beam and saluted the Titans.

"My name is Commander Prime of the Sabretrons. Who is in charge here?"

Robin stepped up and saluted, "I'm Robin, of the Teen Titans. What is it you want?"

"We have come for him," Prime pointed to DT.

DT asked, "Why?"

"We have seen what you can do and the Deathtrons will stop at nothing to have you. Your skills are impressive and I wish to ask if you'd like to come with us to the secret Sabretron City located here on Earth."

"There's a secret city on Earth?" Beast Boy spoke up.

"If everyone knew about it, it wouldn't be a secret now, would it?" Raven quipped.

Beast Boy shrugged. It made sense.

DT thought for a moment. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity. Could he leave the Titans? But, he needed to know more of his past. He had made his decision, "Yes." The Titans gasped. Before they could say anything, DT said, "I need to do this, maybe my skills could be more useful there."

Robin stepped up and shook hands with DT, "Remember that you still have friends here and a home."

"Thank you, Robin," DT smiled.

"Hey, let's have a party before you leave," Draco suggested, "I mean, I just met you and some of us would like to get to know you."

"Including you," Shadow smiled at Renia. "I see that you're a member of the Titans, Renia."

"A farewell party does sound like a good idea," Starfire smiled.

"So…" Cyborg began.

"…Let…" Beast Boy added.

"…Us…" Pluto continued.

"PARTAY!" Pluto, Beast Boy and Cyborg jumped into the air together.

And thus, they partied until DT left with Prime. Of course, Prime had some of his Sabretrons help clean up the island, picking up the pieces of the enemy robots. The Smartroopers also helped in the cleaning up before leaving in the transport plane.

And then Robin confronted the Knights, "We need to talk."

To Be Continued…

Don't worry. Double-Trouble will be coming back. Stay tune.

Double-Trouble

Age: 16 (In appearance. True age is unknown)

Gender: Male

Hair: Blue

Eyes: Brown (Wears mask over eyes all the time)

Powers: Cybernetic enhancements and transformable armor

Bio: Double Trouble is actually a Deathtron double agent and created to infiltrate and destroy the Sabretrons from within. The bracelets around Double Trouble's wrists allow him to access his armor. He can transform into two types of armor, one Deathtronian and the other Sabretronian.

Double Trouble is actually an advanced form of cyborg using alien technology. He lost some of his memory from the fall he got while escaping from some Deathtron soldiers sent to capture him. He washed up in a stream with several severe injuries and was brought back to the Tower infirmary.

His past memories slowly resurface each time he uses his powers.

His Sabretronian-mode armor is silver and red with a blue visor in the helmet. It is humanoid in design. The Sabretron symbol is on his left shoulder. The armor is a ground battle mode that gives him the firepower and armor protection equal to that of a tank. He is armed with powerful cannons mounted on his back and wrist blasters that shoot plasma blasts.

His Deathtronian-mode armor is bat-like. Its coloring is black and purple with a red visor covering his face. He also has sharp talons on his boots and gauntlets as well as a pair of metallic wings. The Deathtron symbol is on his helmet. This aerial combat mode is as fast as a fighter jet. He now lives and works in the secret Sabretron City on Earth.


	79. PT079: The Wizard

Note: At this point, Shadowcobra, Draco and Pluto no longer wear masks.

Part 79: The Wizard, the Knight and the Alchemist

(Afternoon, Titans Tower Common Room, Jump City)

"Hey, where's all the food?" Draco asked as he looked into the fridge. There were out of food and none of them were in the mood for pizza, again.

"Don't worry, Leo," Pluto said from his place on the couch as he played videogames with Cyborg, Beast Boy and Robin. The girls were all out for some 'female bonding'. "Shadow already went out to pick up the groceries." Pluto had replaced his mask with a headset that had a built in blue visor as he had been compared to Batman or Huntress one too many times. The blue visor hid his eyes from view, so he was able to keep his identity a secret and remain stylish.

"Yeah, but why isn't he back yet?" Draco asked, his tummy rumbling, "It's almost lunch."

* * *

(Somewhere in the Mirror Dimension) 

Zodiac Knight Shadowcobra was slammed roughly into a wall and made a crack in the surface before falling down to the ground. He mumbled, "And I was only grocery shopping before."

Shadow had gone to pick up the groceries when he heard another mirror breach, signifying that a monster was trying to cross over to the human world from the Mirror Dimension. At that time, he was on his way back, riding his Side Basher back to Titans Tower. When he heard the familiar ringing sound, he stopped and transformed before entering the Mirror Dimension.

That was a few minutes ago. The monster looked like an armored humanoid shark. It was green and held two long jagged sabers. It flung the sabers like boomerangs and Shadow nearly got his head sliced off from the last throw. Shadow was slowly losing his temper; this thing was making him late. He got up and turned himself invisible before he got hit by another boomerang slice. Shadow then, still invisible, kicked the monster away before firing a concentrated shadow blast.

"Now to finish this," Shadow said as he reappeared and with a card in hand: Stingdiver. Shadow slid in the Stingdiver card into his belt buckle before he pulled out his 'X' shaped weapon, the SNK-Gunblade, from his belt. It functioned as both a laser blaster and lightsaber. He slid the SNK-Key out of his belt and into the Gunblade. The lightsaber extended from the part where Shadow was holding, blade down. The lightsaber glowed brightly. He whispered into his watch and pressed a button, "Excel Charge." The energy flowed from the belt buckle and into his weapon. He cocked the Gunblade before he aimed and shot out an energy blast that soon erected into a net, trapping and paralyzing the target. He pulled his weapon holding arm back and ran forward.

"Clock Up!" he began speeding up and then shouted, "X-STING SLASH!" he slashed the opponent in an 'X' shaped pattern, forming a glowing purple 'X' on its body. The monster exploded as Shadow deactivated the Gunblade's lightsaber. "Clock Over."

Shadow turned towards one of the windows and slowly walked towards it and out of the Mirror Dimension. His armor shattered away. Shadow pulled up the collar of his cloak and put on a helmet before mounting his Side Basher. The vehicle sped off towards the Tower, with the groceries in the sidecar.

* * *

"I'm back!" Shadow announced as he came into the living room with the groceries. They were feeding twelve Titans now, so Shadow had to buy A LOT of groceries. He set the bags on the kitchen counter before taking them out and sorting them, whistling a little tune as he did.

* * *

(Later, that night) 

Shadow sighed as he pushed himself away from the computer monitor, rubbing his eyes tiredly. The chair rolled away as he relaxed. He was in his room/office at Titans Tower. Recently, he had been elected/promoted to position of third in command of the Teen Titans.

It was a unanimous vote since Shadow had great leadership skills. Well, almost unanimous. Pluto wanted to vote himself. However, his hopes were immediately shot down by the rest for reasons that could not be expressed directly. The word 'incompetent' did come to mind though. Pluto was a bad leader if memory served correctly. Shadow, on the other hand, was calm, collected, and able to keep his cool under pressure. If either Cyborg or Robin were unavailable or incapacitated, Shadow could take over as leader. Starfire liked him that was sure. Blackfire, he was a little unsure of. Sure, he didn't exactly hate Blackfire, but he didn't exactly like her either. It was somewhere in between. On the other hand, Blackfire was capable of the things that Starfire wasn't. Blackfire wasn't as merciful as Starfire. Of course, it was Starfire's merciful attitude that made her a great heroine. And, she could follow orders well. Blackfire still had problems with authority and was more intone to giving out orders rather than taking them.

Shadow's room/office was a dark place to be, even more so than Raven's room. The coffin shaped bed was in the centre of the room and there was a tall bookcase with various books, mostly horror, spells and demonic information. There was also a DVD rack full of Shadow's favorite horror movies; none of the 'American Slasher Flics'. He was more into the Asian kind of horror movies like 'The Ring' or 'Ju-On'. He didn't like the American adaptations since they took away the elements of the original. He chuckled, still remembering when Blackfire would stare at the phone fearfully for a week after watching 'The Ring'. She leapt about 10 feet into the air when she heard it ring and she was afraid to answer. No doubt that she was scared and didn't want to hear the scary voice. She was also afraid to have her picture taken. Shadow chuckled. He was almost tempted to put on a long black wig that draped over his face and use his shadow powers to phase out of her TV. Almost. But, he was trying to make peace with her and pulling a prank like that would have surely made Starfire dislike him…and Blackfire too. Though he didn't really care if Blackfire disliked him anyway. He did put her under his custody and he thought that was good enough anyway.

In his room were also three plastic cases where he kept his pets. One case kept his tarantula, another his python and the last was used as an aquarium for his piranha. Not trusting any of the Titans to take care of them while he was away, he had his pets sent to a 'Pet Hotel' to be taken care of until his return.

He pulled out his desk drawer and picked up his Deathtron badge. The demonic purple face with horns and fangs could make people feel chills. If Starfire knew that he was a Deathtron too…well, she did accept him even after knowing his father was one, maybe she'd accept him if he told her he was one. Of course, he wasn't keen on telling anyone, not just yet. This was his secret after all.

Speaking of secrets, the Titans had discovered Ichijyo's lineage as a Vampangel and demanded an explanation. He explained that he had been born of both a vampire and an angel, which was true. It would seem impossible, but considering the Titans lives, anything was possible. Also, Draco had gotten in trouble since the Titans now knew the identity of Copycat as his sister. He took a very long time to explain and Jinx had been upset when he didn't tell her that she wouldn't talk to him for several days. She finally forgave him though when he gave her a bouquet flowers as an apology/peace offering and told her why he didn't tell them. He had said that he was never allowed to tell them since he made a silent promise to never reveal his sister's identity as a Zodiac Knight. The fact was, the Titans were upset and had nearly gotten killed by Copycat, and knowing that Slade had his own team of Zodiac Knights now just upped the ante. They were even more upset when they found out that Pluto and Shadow knew of Copycat's identity as well as the fact that Team Tartarus was a group of Zodiac Knights under Slade.

Of course, those secrets were revealed, but others were yet to be exposed.

Shadow looked at his closet and sighed. Hidden inside was the re-modified Red-X suit. It took awhile for the technicians, scientists, and engineers to understand the technology behind the suit and then to create new weapons to go with it, while at the same time stabilizing the Xinothium compound. They found out if the unstable substance was heated…it would have the same destructive power as a nuclear bomb. Not very good news, but he needed to hear it nonetheless. The modifications to the suit's appearance was a suggestion Shadow had made. He wanted the Titans to know that this was not going to be the same Red-X they had faced. Sure, his first encounter with the Titans while he wore the suit wasn't pretty, but it was still worth it. Tapping into Chang's mind and absorbing all his knowledge was the only way he knew how to gain all the information he needed on Xinothium as well as the suit's schematics. Stealing the blueprints to all of his other inventions was also a plus. A genius Chang may be, but a good memory he didn't have.

Teaming up with Robin that day, he realized that he should leave the Black Knights Guild permanently and join up with Draco and Pluto. That experience had convinced Shadow that his true path was that of a hero. That and the fact that he had fallen for Raven that night and wanted to get to know her. All he needed was the right date and she'd be his. Speaking of Raven, that was why he was up in his room so late.

He wanted to know if there was anyway to stop the Prophecy and to make sure Trigon wouldn't show up. The most logical route would be to kill Raven, like Yoshido said. However, Shadow had said that he would rather die than to go that far. But, Raven did make him promise that, if she ever turned evil, he'd kill her. He still had problems with that. He didn't want to lose Raven, a loved one. Losing Misha had shattered his soul, giving birth to Akuma and Amakusa, his Yin and Yang. What would happen if he killed Raven? Regardless, he didn't want, nor need, to dwell on that. There was work to be done.

He had received a letter, a fax really, from his father. His father was owner of Smart Brain Corporation and ran the main HQ in London, England. Ichijyo ran the Tokyo branch while he was living there. In light of all that had happened and since Shadow now lived in Jump City, it would be a good idea to have him transferred. In other words, Shadow was no longer CEO of Smart Brain Tokyo, now he was CEO of Smart Brain JC, at least for now as he was living in Jump City as a Teen Titan. The original CEO of Smart Brain JC, a Mr. James Worthing, was transferred to Smart Brain Tokyo to take his place. Shadow almost felt sorry for the guy; he had to handle Prof. Murata now. Oh well, no time to worry about that as his mind drifted to other matters.

It was about DT.

What he knew of DT was that he was a prototype for a new type of soldier created by a splinter group of the Deathtrons. He was meant to function as a spy and mercenary, pretending to work for one side while actually working for the Deathtrons. He was able to meet DT in person when Beast Boy had called him to help. When the Deathtrons had come to capture DT, he and the others had returned from Tokyo to help. The Deathtrons were forced to leave DT as Captain Magnus' ship was being attacked by the Justice League's Javelins. No doubt Shadow had hacked into the systems and disabled the cloaking device that made it undetectable before tipping the Justice League off. The Sabretrons later came to recruit DT to come work in the secret Sabretron HQ located on Earth. Of course, he didn't leave without a farewell party being thrown in his honor.

Shadow's thoughts then went back to the youngest of the Titans, Renia. Renia was sleeping and she was sleeping soundly; a little too soundly of course as her snoring had derailed the Snake Knight's previous train of thought. (Her room is next to Shadow's and she can snore pretty loud.)

He had taken a liking to her since he understood where she came from. She wasn't really human despite her appearance. She was a Homunculus, a humanoid created from Alchemy. Of course, she was a strange one as she could perform Alchemy. Maybe it was because she was made not based on a dead person but from an entire new being. Being unique, so were her powers. Though she was a Homunculus, she possessed a human soul, thus going against everything Slade had told her of being a damned monster. She was none of that. She was Renia, the Crystal Alchemist. Of course, she still had nightmares despite everything. She was a Homunculus and she could do nothing but accept that.

She did have issues about her height and would go ballistic if she was made fun of it or if it was ever mentioned within her earshot. Beast Boy had always been the victim of her temperament, Cyborg being a close second and Takada a close third, as they would call her 'squirt' and 'shrimp'. It was all in good fun, without any attention of being malicious, but she would always take it the wrong way, resulting in the 'three stooges' getting beaten up by a kid half their size, but nearly twice their strength.

He chuckled to himself as he continued his work, writing up the reports. He was happy now. He had friends and someone to love, and no one was taking that away from him, ever.

He continued to write his report.

* * *

Raven's sleep was restless. She couldn't help but feel a little sorry for Ichijyo. What Masaru said about him got to her; she understood how he felt about demons but to go after everyone of them out of hatred was not right. Shadow did not do anything that he had been accused of, but Masaru would not listen. To him, the only good demon was a dead demon. Even after Shadow and his talk, Masaru still held a hatred for demons. However…she felt that he was questioning his ideals…could he change…for the better? They would never know until they met him again. 

At the foot of Raven's bed was a chest and inside was something that she never wanted to see again; the book with Malchior inside. Malchior, the Dread Dragon, had pretended to be the wizard that she admired and slowly fell in love with. He lied to her, deceived her, took advantage of her emotions. When he got free, he attempted to kill her and her friends. However, his plan to teach her all the magic he knew backfired as she had learnt the curse that sealed him in the book. Now, there was no way he could escape.

Or was there?

Raven may have been powerful, but she was not Rorek in any shape or form. How potent was the curse she had cast on Malchior, how long would it last? Years? Decades? Centuries?

Or right now?

A faint glow escaped from the cracks of the chest. There was also a silent whisper sounding between that or a man's voice and a beast's growl, "…_Raven_…"

The dark glow grew, slowly spreading from the mouth of the chest to the floor of Raven's room. The darkness began to spread out more, in the form of a ghostly black dragon. The ghost dragon then hovered over Raven and whispered into her ear, "_Wake up, sweet Raven, wake up…_"

Raven's eyes slowly flitted open before they shot wide open, her mouth emitting a loud shriek.

* * *

Shadow's head shot up from his work as he heard the scream. He grabbed his Zodiac Deck and ran out of his room, phasing right through the door. Renia was at the doorway of her room yawning when she saw Shadow running by. Renia could faintly hear something that sounded like, "Raven's in danger," coming from the Snake Knight. She quickly picked up her red jacket and followed after him. 

The other Titans had heard the scream as well and were standing in front of Raven's door. A dark mist was slowly trailing out from the bottom of her door and over it, creating a barrier.

"What's happening?" Shadow demanded.

"We don't know!" Draco answered, "We heard a scream and came running! I think Raven's in danger!"

"And this mist is blocking scanners!" Cyborg inspected his arm scanner, "Don't know if she's okay or not!"

"Let me try?" Shadow placed his hand to the door and immediately pulled back. He had felt a slight jolt of dark energy being emitted from the room, but was able to sense enough. Raven was in there…with something else. "Raven!" he shouted, "Raven!" he repeated. He then touched his forehead with his head and closed his eyes. This time he was going to try calling her telepathically. ((Raven luv! Can you hear me? Raven, answer me please!))

((Ichi…jyo…)) her reply was weak.

((Raven! What's going on?))

((Mal…Mal…Malchi…or…))

Malchior! He had heard enough. He shouted to the Titans, "We need to get this door open, now! Raven's in danger!"

"Will do!" Pluto used the nanotech to change his right arm into a photon cannon, Cyborg activated his sonic cannon. The cybernetic teen and the nanotech teen blasted at the door, only for the blast to reflect back as it bounced off the door. "YIKES!" they both yelled as they ducked back down.

"Let me try," Draco growled as he cracked his knuckles.

"It won't work," Shadow told him, "The barrier would just throw you off, and I wouldn't recommend any of you doing the same."

"So how are we gonna help Raven?" Robin questioned, "We need to get in there!"

"I can teleport myself in there. My angelic powers may protect me from the dark magic."

"Sounds risky," Draco told him.

"Be careful!" Starfire pleaded. Shadow gave them a confident smile.

"I will." Shadow enveloped himself in darkness and disappeared.

* * *

Shadow reappeared on the other side of the door in a wave of shadows and gasped at what he saw. Raven was in the grasp of a dark ghost dragon that had her in its claws. Raven's powers were going out of control as her dark energy enveloped several of the items in the room and levitating them all around. Shadow took out his Cobra Scepter and demanded from the dragon, "Let her go," he called its name, "MALCHIOR!" 

"_So you've heard of me_," the dragon sneered, "_I am honored that my reputation precedes me." _

"Your reputation as a cowardly liar who preys on a girl's emotions!" Shadow hissed venomously.

"_Raven? Yes, I was a bit hasty in trying to get rid of her the last time. I've began to think again while I was trapped in the book again. Why dispose of her while I can make her mine?_"

Shadow hissed and lunged at the dragon, swinging down his scepter, only to be batted away by the dragon's wing. He landed roughly on the ground and conjured up a ball of light energy before letting it fly at the dragon's face. The dragon seemed affected as it thrashed its head around from the pain.

"_I see you are more than you seem. I can sense that you have demon as well as angel blood. However, my magicks are far more superior_," Malchior taunted.

"We shall see," Shadow grinned before he shouted out, "ZODIAC FORCE OF THE SNAKE!" his purple and silver armor enveloped his body as it was summoned.

"_So, a legendary Zodiac Knight_," Malchior inspected, "_Unfortunately, your powers are not a match for mine._"

"Oh really?" Shadow saw that the dragon's body was attached to the chest. '_Maybe that_ _is where it came from' _"You know dragon, there's only one dragon I respect and you're not him!" he aimed his hand the chest and sent out a powerful shadow blast.

"_NO_!" Malchior roared, but he was too late as the chest exploded, together with the book inside. Malchior let out a pain filled screech, "_NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO_!" as his body disintegrated in the air. Raven dropped out of his grasp and Shadow caught her in his arms.

"Mal…Malchior…?" she questioned.

"No luv," Shadow kissed her forehead, "It's me."

"Ichijyo?" she asked weakly, "Where is Malchior?"

"Gone, forever," he smiled at her.

"Hopefully you didn't destroy the book," she sighed, resting in his arms with her head on his chest. He raised an eyebrow.

"What book?"

"The book in the chest. If you destroy the book, there would be no place left to seal him. By the way, how did you defeat him?" She noticed the shocked look on his face, "Ichijyo, what's wrong?"

"You mean that chest? Please don't tell me it was the chest I just destroyed."

Raven turned her gaze from him to the remnants of the chest that she had at the foot of her bed. There were also pieced of paper strewn everywhere. She then turned to glare at Shadow, "Ichijyo," she said flatly, "You're an idiot."

The pillar of white light suddenly fired out from her floor and out through her ceiling, leaving a sizable hole towards the roof. The Titans had forced the door open just in time to see this.

"Woah! A light show!" Draco watched.

"What's going on?" Robin asked.

"Ask the idiot who just set Malchior free!" Raven poked at Shadow's head.

"WHAT?" Cyborg, Beast Boy, Robin and Starfire yelled.

Shadow said weakly, "Oops."

"Wow, he does mess up," Blackfire said with some humor.

"Who's Malchior?" Pluto asked. At the moment he asked that, a black dragon's head poked from the hole in the ceiling and its red eyes glared at the Titans.

"**I'm Malchior**!" he announced wickedly before letting out a loud roar and firing a breath of fire at the Titans.

Raven and Shadow erected a shield of dark energy in front of them to block the attack. Malchior laughed and pulled his head back out.

"TITANS! GO!" Robin shouted as he leapt up an out of the hole, followed by the rest of the team who either flew up, jumped, or had someone carry them. Raven was glaring at Shadow the entire time as she picked up her cloak and wore it.

"Okay! How was I supposed to bloody know that was his prison!" he shouted.

"I thought you knew better!" she shouted back.

"You could've bloody told me!"

"I did!"

"Well you should've told me NOT to destroy the book!"

"Hello! I was in Malchior's trance! I thought you were smart enough to not do anything stupid like destroy his prison!"

"Excuse me for caring! It's just that when the person that you love in the entire world is in danger, the ability to think clearly is always absent!"

"That's no es-What?" she heard what he had said and gasped.

"I said that I LOVE YOU! Okay!" he wheezed, "I know I did a dumb thing by freeing Malchior, but all I could think about was saving YOU!"

Raven was stunned. Well, he was a bit stupid for freeing Malchior, but almost everyone did something stupid out of love; believe it, she did do something stupid like that once and wasn't about to repeat that mistake again. So, she pulled Shadow down by his shoulders and gave him a passionate kiss. (His faceplate is open by the way) Shocked, he kissed her back. She then pulled away with a smirk on her face and an evil glint in her eyes, "Let's go kick some dragon butt."

Something fell down the hole. It was Draco, in armor. His faceplate slid open and he coughed out some smoke. He then turned to Raven and Shadow, "If you two aren't too busy locking lips, we could use some help," before jumping out through the hole. The two half breeds blushed before teleporting out to help their friends.

* * *

Starfire and Blackfire were in the air and pelting the dragon with starbolts. Draco had flames shooting out of his feet as he helped the sisters by blasting the dragon with flames. Terra threw boulders at Malchior with her powers while Pluto (in armor) and Cyborg were standing on the roof and blasting with their cannons. Robin threw explosive disks at the dragon as Jinx used her hexes. Beast Boy flew up into the air as a pteranadon and slashed at Malchior with his talons. Renia just stood there, feeling useless. 

Of course, Malchior was too strong and with a loud roar, swung his tail around and swatted the pests out of the air. Starfire was caught by Robin while Blackfire got caught by Pluto. The rest landed right on top of Cyborg.

"**You think you can defeat me? Without the book, I cannot be sealed! I am ALL** **powerful**!" Malchior laughed.

"You think so, do you?" Pluto was in his Excel Suit and activated the DOG-Torch attached to his boot. "Let's see what Smart Brain tech can do."

Both Draco and Shadow activated their Excel Suits as well. "XL-Vent: Excel Active." Draco drew out his DRA-Blaster while Shadow took out his SNK-Double Scope and attached it to his boot, activating it. Draco did the same with the DRA-Blaster. They slid the Keys into their weapons before they drew out their Final Vents and slid them into their card readers.

"Final Vent."

Their monsters were summoned, Genosnaker slithered behind Shadow, Darkwing spread out its wings as it was Pluto's cape and Dragnozer roared as it flew behind Draco. They spoke into their SB-Watches and pushed the buttons, "Excel Charge." The three Zodiac Knights leapt up and executed their Final Vents, the stream of the Excel Suits glowing bright and their weapons flashing.

"EXCEL GENOCIDE CRUSH!"

"EXCEL IMMORTAL'S DEADLY DRILL!"

"EXCEL COMBUSTION DRAGON KICK!"

All three of the Knights shouted as they attacked Malchior with their Final Vents. If the attacks won against Malchior, he would be destroyed. Pluto had full confidence in Smart Brain technology.

Too bad it wasn't enough.

Malchior let out a powerful roar and threw the Knights away from him and sending them plummeting down back to the roof with a crash. Their Excel Suits deactivated and their armors shattered away.

"**Such tricks cannot harm me! You are fools**!" he roared and swooped down at the Tower.

Raven flew up and chanted, "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" she sent a blast of her dark energy at him but it was deflected. His claw lashed out and grabbed her.

"RAVEN!" Shadow shouted.

"Let me go!" Raven yelled at Malchior.

"**And why should I sweet Raven**?" Malchior retorted, "**You know, I was a bit hasty at wanting to destroy you the last time, so how about this? Join me and become my bride, together we can rule the world. You did love me Raven and I do have some feeling for you.**"

Raven had to admit that Malchior was right. She did love him, but that was before she found out that he had been lying to her and broke her heart, "You're right Malchior, I did love you. Emphasis on 'did' as in past tense!" she shot back, "I love Shadow and Shadow alone! He may have been secretive, but he has never lied to me, unlike YOU! And I know that he will never betray me!"

Shadow her heard and smiled, slowly getting back up. He then let out a yell as Malchior shocked Raven with dark lightning. She let out a pain filled scream before falling unconscious, "RAVEN!" he shouted, "I WILL NOT LET YOU HURT HER!" Shadow leapt up at Malchior and began chanting a spell. It was in Latin but translated into, "_Darkness beyond twilight, crimson beyond all blood that flows, buried beneath the sands of time_," he continued, "_I call to thee and swear upon thy name, that those that stand against you be destroyed by the power that you and I possess_." He then screamed out, "_DRAGON SLAYER_!" he fired the strongest offensive dark magic spell he knew right at Malchior. Malchior roared and countered with a stream of powerful magical darkfire. Both attacks struck and pushed against each other. Shadow's eyes glowed red and he put more power into the attack, but to no avail. Malchior was winning. Was Shadow going to lose?

The answer: No.

Raven was still in the dragon's grasp and he HAD to save her. His armor may have been gone, but he could still fight.

A black beam of energy accompanied by a white one suddenly smashed into the side of the Dread Dragon's face, forcing it to stop breathing fire and then getting a face full of Ichijyo's Dragon Slave. Shadow turned to see who had helped and gasped.

"Ekelo?"

"You helped me when I was in trouble," Ekelo said, "Now I'll help you." Standing on the roof next to Ekelo was someone that Shadow never thought he would meet again. He was a male that was far older than he looked, dressed in a black bodysuit with a black scarf tied around the lower half of his face. His skin was a pale grey like Raven's and his eyes were a shining blue. White hair covered his head. On his body was silver torso armor with a stylized black 'M' and he also wore metal gauntlets and boots. He had been Shadow's teacher when the young Snake Knight had been younger. It was none other than the one whom had sealed the evil Dragon, Malchior, within the book. It was none other than…

"Master Rorek!" Shadow shouted again.

"I see the lessons that I gave you never went to waste. However, I never remembered teaching you THAT spell before," Rorek criticized.

"I picked it up," Shadow shrugged.

Robin then went up to confront the two newcomers, "Who are you two?" he was suspicious.

Rorek bowed with his hand on his chest and his other hand behind him, "Rorek of Noll, at your service!" his voice held a British accent similar to Shadow's.

"Ekelo, an old friend of Raven's."

The other Titans gathered around. Blackfire and Pluto smiled at Ekelo while Draco frowned. Jinx smiled weakly at the newcomers.

"**You**!" Malchior growled hatefully.

"That is right Dread Dragon! I see that you got out of your book and up to your old tricks again," Rorek shouted back.

"**With some help from your student and his girlfriend, I did!**"

Rorek raised an eyebrow and turned to look at Shadow, "Ichijyo, is this true?"

"I made a mistake! You can't bloody blame me!" Shadow defended.

At the moment, Ekelo was in the air and slashing at Malchior with his shadow blade. The dragon fought back with claw swipes, tail lashes and fire blasts, but Ekelo dodged, each one, except one when Malchior got right in front of him and blasted him straight onto Draco.

"Get off me!" Draco shouted, angrily.

"At least I'm not fat!" Ekelo retorted. Even now he liked to agitate the dragon Knight.

"Regardless, we need to defeat Malchior," Rorek turned to Renia and said, "I sense great power from you, child. What is your name?"

Renia blushed and answered, "Re…Renia…"

"Okay, I will need your help, child," Rorek told her, "And Ichijyo's too if we want to defeat Malchior."

"But how are we going to do that…?" Shadow asked.

"He's too strong…" Renia panted, "Plus all I know is Alchemy. I've got no experience dealing with anything like him."

"We have to…for Raven," Rorek told them. Shadow's eyes narrowed as he looked up at the Dread Dragon that held his beloved in its claws.

"How…?" Shadow asked his former teacher.

"Ichijyo, the day I met you and started teaching you, I sensed much darkness and doubt in you. I taught you how to master that darkness as well as the light within. Shadows cannot exist without both darkness and light. To defeat Malchior, you need to fully accept what you truly are, the Vampangel!" Rorek turned to Renia, "And Renia, despite the circumstances of your birth, you have displayed such dedication in your fight against evil. However, you must fully grasp the power of the Homunculi." Renia gasped, "Yes, I know of what you are, but that does not matter for, unlike other Homunculi, you possess a soul. You must reach out for the power that truly makes your Alchemy potent! Do it for your friends! They are counting on you!"

Both Shadow and Renia smiled before wearing the most serious and determined expressions on their faces. They took what Rorek had said to heart. Their friends were injured and immobilized. Right now, they were the only ones who could beat the Dread Dragon. The only option was his destruction as the book he had been sealed in was gone.

Shadow focused within him, calling forth both light and darkness. The power radiated from his body, obsidian black mixing with shining silver. The energies then formed a card in front of him. He caught the card in his fingers and read it. It was marked 'Evolution' and held the image of a half black and half white silhouette bearing a pair of wings; one demonic black, the other angelic white. He took out his cobra scepter and slid the card into it.

"**EVOLUTION!" **

All his cards flew out of his deck before flying back into his body. The energy swept over his body, donning him with his NEW cobra armor, which was now onyx black with a sterling silver trim. The helmet concealed his head, but the faceplate had been left open. From his back a pair of wings extended, one black and demonic, another white and angelic. The wings spread out, spilling darkness and white feathers. The bodysuit under the armor was now purple with black armor plating covering up the sides of the legs and sleeves. Long black tattered robes with silver lining were worn under the armor. His faceplate slid close, now with a red visor covering his eyes.

"Zodiac Knight Shadowcobra: Vampangel Mode!"

The Titans gasped.

"Wowzers," Beast Boy said.

Renia focused on her crystallization powers and slowly began changing herself. Her skin began to change to solid crystal and as she opened her eyes, they became a solid gold color. A transmutation circle formed on her forehead.

"Woah," Pluto blinked, "That's wicked."

As Malchior held the unconscious Raven in his grasp, he sensed the power that began to rise and fluctuate. He turned his head around and his red eyes widened. Both Shadow and Renia were powering up. He had to stop this so he swooped down and opened his mouth wide, breathing out a powerful blast of fire. The fools who dared oppose him would be destroyed forever.

Of course, the blast would've down that, if not for the crystal shield that rose up and blocked the attack. Renia was behind it and had her hands on the roof. A large transmutation circle glowed under her. She turned to yell at both Shadow and Rorek, "WHAT ARE YOU TWO WAITING FOR? NOW'S YOUR CHANCE!"

"Ready Ichijyo?" Rorek said to his student.

"Just say the word, Master Rorek," Ichijyo nodded, his eyes glowing with a mixture of blue and red.

The two magic users leapt off the roof and flew straight at Malchior. Rorek recited a spell and Shadow did the same, sending out a blast of magical white lightning. Malchior breathed another jet of flames but the flames got redirected back to him, blowing up in his face. This was caused by Draco, who had his arm out and eyes glowing red, plus Jinx whose eyes were glowing pink. The dragon dropped Raven and Shadow immediately reacted, flying down and catching the girl in his arms. Her eyes started to open as she felt a familiar sense of warmth spread over her. Her eyes then gazed upon the image of an angelic Knight, holding her in his arms, rescuing her from danger.

"I…Ichijyo…" She asked, gazing at the wings on his back.

"It's me, Raven," he smiled. "It's really me."

Malchior let out another roar, "**YOU SHALL PAY FOR YOUR INSOLENCE**!" he spewed out some more flames.

"GO SUCK ON AN EGG!" Renia shouted as she created a large crystal ball and lobbed it at Malchior. The ball smashed against the dragon's face and sent him crashing towards the foot of the Tower. She smiled with satisfaction. She then leapt off the roof and created a spiraling crystal slide that allowed her to descent at a safer speed.

She slowly walked towards the dragon and nudged him with her foot, "You're not so tough, heh!" Malchior's dragon lips curled up into an evil grin as his eyes snapped wide open.

"RENIA! LOOK OUT!" Rorek shouted. The Dread Dragon grabbed onto Renia and flew right back up.

"**Foolish girl**," Malchior growled, "**You think that can stop me?**"

Renia raised up a finger, "No, but this will." She touched the finger to his skin and yelled out, "Gotcha sucker!" a transmutation circled formed on the spot she touched as she began to cover it with thick crystal. Malchior roared and tried to let Renia go, but his hand had been covered in a thick layer of crystal, which was slowly spreading over his body.

"Ichijyo! Raven! Ekelo! Now's our chance!" Rorek shouted to them. Raven was flying by Shadow's side as they both recited a spell as one. Ekelo recited the spell as well.

"**_Darkness beyond twilight, crimson beyond all blood that flows, buried beneath the sands of time,_**" they began, the power coursing, "**_I call to you, and_** **_swear myself to you, for those that stand before us be destroyed in the power that you and I possess_**." They then shouted in unison, "**_DRAGON SLAYER_**!"

From the sorceress, the shadow master and the Knight's outstretched hands came forth a powerful blast of black and red magical energy. The Dragon Slave was known as one of the most powerful of dark magic spells and only a select few could use it at its full power. Shadow, Ekelo and Raven, with their powers combined, could do it.

Renia used her crystal fists to smash Malchior's claw open before jumping out with a salute, "Bye bye!" Rorek caught her. Malchior's eyes stared up to the bringer of his oblivion.

"**NO**!"

But there was nothing he could do as the Dragon Slayer spell ripped through his body, tearing the flesh off his bones as he let out a screech of anguish. Soon, there was nothing left of Malchior but a memory.

Shadow, Raven, Ekelo, Rorek and Renia landed on the roof of the Tower. The Titans had seen the act of heroism and courage portrayed by their friends and cheered.

"WOOHOO! Dudes! You beat him!"

"Wonderful!"

"Booyah!"

"Impressive!"

"Couldn't have done it better myself."

"Interesting…" Shadow stared at his hands. He was commenting on his new Evolution Armor, Vampangel Mode. "Is this look OK with me?" His visor lifted up and his faceplate slid open as his wings disappeared.

"I like it," Raven smiled.

"I do too!" Starfire chirped, "I also like the wings you had before. May we see them again?"

Shadow blushed, "You sure about that?" he was still a little uncomfortable with revealing his wings. Starfire nodded and Raven did too. He sighed and let his wings out again. The black demon wing was terrifying, but commanded respect while the white angel wing radiated with a majestic and soothing aura of purity.

"Wow," Beast Boy eyes widened, "Totally wicked."

"You could say that again," Cyborg agreed.

"Now I get the Vampangel thing," Robin accessed.

"Beautiful!" Starfire's eyes sparkled.

"Wouldn't have believed it 'til I saw it with my own eyes," Terra said.

"Okay," Shadow reabsorbed his wings, gaining collective groans from his friends, "Show's over. I'm not something displayed at the art museum, you know." His armor disappeared, but one thing had changed. His blue hair had turned black, with silver bangs. He tugged at one of the silver bangs and rubbed the hair between his index finger and thumb, "Hm…interesting…"

Rorek smiled under his scarf, "Looks like my work here is done," as he turned to leave he felt a tug at his scarf. He turned and his blue eyes stared down at the Crystal Alchemist, "Yes Renia?"

"Can I come with you?" she asked, now reverted to her normal form. The other Titans gasped. She turned to address them, "Guys, I'm sorry, but this is what I want. I want to see the world and learn magic; I don't just want to know Alchemy!"

"But your home is here! Please stay!" Starfire pleaded. Renia gave her a weak a sad smile before she walked over and gave the alien girl a hug.

"I'm gonna miss you Starfire, and your hugs and food," Renia admitted, tearing up. She then let go of the Tamaranean and hugged each of the Titans.

"If this is what you want Renia, go ahead. You have my blessing," Robin smiled at the youngest Titan.

"Thanks, Robin," Renia smiled.

"Take care of yourself, okay?" Terra winked.

"Will do Terra."

"Don't forget us, okay?" Cyborg winked.

"I won't Cy."

"And remember, you're as tall as you feel," Beast Boy said.

"What is _that_ supposed to mean…?"

Renia was about ready to pummel Beast Boy for that remark but was stopped by Rorek. Beast Boy sighed in relief.

"The journey will be dangerous, arduous and long; are you sure you're ready for this?" the white haired wizard asked.

Renia nodded, "As ready as I'll ever be."

"Then, let us go!" he started a teleportation spell. "Oh, and Ichijyo…"

"Hm?"

"I'm glad you have found happiness. Don't forget to invite me to the wedding," with that finally said, he and Renia both disappeared, leaving both a blushing Zodiac Knight and half demoness.

"I shall take my leave as well," Ekelo waved, "Goodbye."

"Please, do not go yet!" Starfire pleaded.

"Sorry, but I got to go," he disappeared before Starfire could hug him. It was safer that way.

"Good riddance," Draco mumbled, "Well, now I want to turn in," Draco yawned, "Goodnight guys."

"I've had far too much excitement for one night," Jinx yawned.

The Titans all said goodnight to one another and went back in to sleep. The only ones left were Raven and Shadow.

"Ichijyo…" Raven tapped her foot, with her arms crossed and eyes narrowed, "How do you know Rorek?"

"He was," he gulped, "My old teacher."

"I see…that's another secret you kept from me."

"Well," he said smugly, "You never asked."

She walked up to him and traced circles on his chest, "I should punish you, you know…but you did save my life…so you might deserve a _reward_…" she said sultrily.

"What kind of reward?" he raised an eyebrow, intrigued.

She whispered into his ear, "Meet me in your room and find out, since my room is totally thrashed." She then teleported away, leaving Shadow to decipher what she had meant before he teleported after her.

To Be Continued…


	80. PT080: Catsitting

Part 80: Catsitting

Draco was in the living room of Titans Tower, enjoying a sandwich, when his cell phone rang. He put down his sandwich and picked the phone up.

"Hello?" he answered.

"Hey little brother!" It was Copycat, his nemesis and twin sister.

"Kat?" he questioned, "Why are you calling?"

"Well I had a fight with Rose and I want to know if there's a possibility that I can stay over?"

Draco stared at the phone, "Um…Kat? You do know that the other Titans know who you are and that you tried to kill them…and me?"

"Yeah, so?"

"Kat, listen to yourself. The others would sooner throw you in Arkham Asylum before you even set foot in the Tower."

"Well, why don't you tell them? I'm sure they can be hospitable. Well, bye!"

Draco put the phone down before going to the alarm. The alarm now had signs that read, "Emergencies only. This means you Beast Boy! And Pluto! I'm serious! Signed Robin." Draco picked up the hammer and smashed the glass case open, causing the alarm to blare.

* * *

All the Titans came as soon as the alarm blared and were in the living room sitting around the Dragon Knight.

"Guys…remember my sister?" he asked.

"You mean that psycho that tried to kill us?" Terra asked.

"And took me hostage?' Jinx added.

"And ran you through with her claws?" Robin continued, "On several occasions?"

"And tried to get us blown up, twice!" Blackfire spoke up.

"And wrecked my car?" Cyborg finished.

"Yeah, that one," Draco laughed nervously.

"I still can feel those claw marks," Beast Boy winced as he touched his back.

Draco laughed nervously and Shadow stared at him suspiciously. "Is there something you want to tell us?" the Snake Knight of Invisibility asked.

Draco breathed in and then said, "She asked me if she could stay over at the Tower for awhile."

It took about 5 seconds for all he said to register.

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!!!???"

"Guys! Relax! She comes in peace…I think," Draco said a bit unsure.

"Draco, your twin sister is the most unstable person on the planet!" Pluto shouted, "I know, I dated her!"

"And she has tried to annihilate us on several occasion in which I cannot count anymore," Starfire commented.

Robin finally said, "So the answer is-" the doorbell rang. "She's already here, isn't she?"

* * *

Kat was standing in front of Titans Tower, dressed in a black shirt with a big red "K" on it and a pair of jeans with black cowgirl boots. Her hair had her usual bow ribbon in it. By her side was a LARGE suitcase. "Where is he?"

The large doors of the Tower opened and she was facing not just her brother, but Robin and Cyborg. Cyborg had his sonic cannon aimed at her face.

Kat said sarcastically, "Hello to you too." She added, "Guns aren't exactly friendly…"

"Neither are you…" Cyborg retorted.

"Whatever you want, you're not welcome here!" Robin shouted.

"So get your crazy self off this island before I blast you off," Cyborg threatened.

"Guys! Chill!" Draco walked up to stand next to his (psychotic) twin sister, "She's harmless…right?" Kat smiled sweetly and winked. "So there's nothing to worry about."

"Draco, let me make it perfectly clear for even you." Robin started listing, "One: She's insane. Two: She's evil. Three: She tried to kill us. Four: She tried to kill YOU. Five: She works for Slade." Robin stood firmly, "So there's no way she's staying here." Robin added, "Plus I can't believe you two are even related or come from the same mother."

Kat spoke smugly, "Really? As I recall, Blackfire tried to get her sister caught in her place for a crime she committed and then took over their home planet and tried to get Starfire to marry a big alien that looks like a pile of green crap!"

"Well, she apologized!" Robin argued.

"Okay," Kat smiled, "I'm sorry I tried to kill you guys!" she got on her knees and begged with big pussy-cat eyes, "Pweaseeeeee…." Her bottom lip trembled, "Pwetty pwease…"

Robin looked away in disgust, but this time faced Draco doing the same thing and looking, disgustingly cute and pathetic, believe it or not.

Cyborg just looked dumbfounded and decided that he should just stay silent. Robin finally gave in.

"Okay! Okay!" he groaned, "She can stay!"

Kat cheered, "Yay!" and hugged her brother.

Robin added, venomously, "But I'm keeping my eye on her."

* * *

Kat was now in the living room sitting on the sofa with 10 out of 11 of the Titans glaring daggers at their latest 'house guest'.

"Guys, my sister Kat. You all remember her right?" Draco said. The Titans narrowed their eyes, "I'll take that as a yes."

"Well then little brother," Kat grinned, "Where will I be sleeping?"

Beast Boy muttered, "In a jail cell." Kat's ears picked it up and she snarled. Beast Boy backed away.

"She'll sleep in my room," Draco offered. Jinx protested.

"Ryuki! She tried to kill you, more than once!"

"But she's my sister. Like it or not and evil or not she's still family."

"And you two are related, how?" Blackfire asked.

"How do we know we can trust her?" Shadow hissed, "She tried to have us blown up!"

Kat raised her hand, "I give you my word. I swear that I will not try to do anything evil over the course of my stay."

"Yeah right!" Pluto scoffed.

"You calling me a liar, Dog?' Kat demanded.

"Yeah! I am! You can't keep a promise you crazy cat!"

Kat sneered, "Really? Still miffed about the break up, huh Yoshiyuki? As I recalled, YOU cheated on ME!"

Blackfire turned to glare at her boyfriend, "WHAT!?"

Kat sighed, "As much as I want to watch this lovers' spat, I'm going to go and put my suitcase in my little brother's room. Ja ne!" Kat stood up and began to lug her suitcase into the hallway. The Titans glared at her back before glaring at Draco.

"I'm in so much trouble, aren't I?" Draco shrunk back.

"Leo, letting your sister stay here is just inviting trouble," Shadow reminded.

"Plus, she works for Slade," Robin added, "How do we know she's not a spy?"

Draco stood up and glared back at his friends angrily, "Listen! She's my sister. Sure she's done some really horrible stuff in the past to us, especially to me, but can't you just trust me? She's an honorable person and she's never broken a vow. She regards her honor WAY too much to do that. Just give her a chance. Who knows…this may be a blessing in disguise."

"How so?" Shadow folded his arms and quirked an eyebrow.

"We have Blackfire and Terra on our side and they've done some pretty bad stuff. No offence girls."

"None taken," Terra said.

"Anyway…maybe we can let her see how bad Slade really is and she might just, you know, join us."

Robin rubbed his chin, "I don't know…seems like a long shot."

"And Jinx, I gave you a chance to reform and stood by you when no one else did," he pleaded to his girlfriend, "So please, stand by me when I say my sister can change for the better."

Jinx was a bit reluctant, "I don't know…she kidnapped me to get to you and she nearly killed you. I'm sorry…but that's how I feel. I can't forgive her for that."

"She used us, betrayed us, joined Slade," Shadow listed, "And most of all, she turned her back on us all."

"She used to be your friend?" Starfire asked. Shadow nodded.

"Tazuka's death wasn't the only factor that made me leave home in the first place," Draco admitted, "It was also finding out my sister was the evil Cat Knight we've been fighting." He bowed his head sadly. "But I do feel that the old sister I know and love is still in there. She helped us when my Okaasan was kidnapped, remember?" this question was directed to Pluto and Shadow. "And she did help save us from the Gamemasters."

"Before she tried to blow us up," Cyborg added. Draco frowned.

"Okay…but seriously, I feel that Kat might just change for the better." The Dragon knight stood up, "I'm gonna go check up on her. Bye!" he teleported in a pillar of flames.

* * *

Kat was in her brother's room and was busy unpacking her clothes into her brother's closet, but making sure to keep her and his stuff separate. She then felt a sudden wave of heat and turned to see her brother there.

"Hey," he greeted her.

"Hey," she greeted back. There was a slight pause, "Your friends don't trust me."

Her brother leaned against the wall, "That's understandable, judging by what you did to them."

Kat sighed, "I know…but I'm a villain and they're heroes. It's kind of in the job description…"

There were several seconds of uncomfortable silence until Ryuki asked.

"Why Kat?" he asked.

"Why what?" she asked back.

"Why…why did you join Slade?"

Kat sighed, "Slade…Slade-sama has been like a father to me all this time since I came to Jump City to kill you. He took me in, gave me a new home where I felt appreciated," she continued, "I've also found love…"

Leo smiled, "I'm happy for you."

"Yeah, but not happy with the choice I made to become Slade's apprentice, right?"

"Do you know what he's even planning? He's working for Trigon!"

"I know that!" she snapped, "And yet you're on the team with Trigon's daughter, who is supposed to summon him!"

"That's beside the point!"

"Is it?" Kat smirked, "I may work for Slade-sama…but I've been doing my research on Trigon and the Prophecy…and I know Slade-sama too well. He wants to CONTROL the world, not DESTROY it!"

"The lesser of two evils, huh?"

"Call it what you may," she turned her back to him, "I've made my choice so don't bother trying to convert me." Draco sighed and turned to leave before he heard her say, "And thanks for letting me stay here…"

"You're welcome, oneechan." he then asked, "By the way…what did you and Rose fight about?"

"I don't wanna talk about it," she growled.

Draco walked out the door and decided to leave her alone. He knew better than to agitate his twin sister.

* * *

Draco took in a deep breath of air before walking back into the living room. As he expected, the others were still there. He approached them and took a seat.

"You're crazy, you know that?' Pluto stated, now sporting a few handprints on his face, courtesy of Blackfire. Draco sighed.

"Listen guys, I know that Kat is evil and has tried to kill me…us...on several occasions, but think of the possibilities," Draco began.

"Elaborate," Shadow encouraged, interested in what Draco had to say.

"Think about it. She has a lot of power in her and she can either be a powerful ally or a deadly enemy. Having her here means we can keep an eye on her and make sure she doesn't get into too much trouble," Draco explained.

"But how do we know she isn't a spy for Slade?" Robin stated.

"Okay, she works for Slade, but she hasn't lied to us, and keeping secrets never constituted as lying," Draco added, "And before you say anything Pluto, we've never asked her if she was ever Copycat when she was and because of that she's never lied to us."

"True," Pluto nodded.

"But her powers are…deadly," Raven said slowly, "She can literally copy and retain the powers of anyone she sees using them. Who knows what she's capable of?"

"You're just afraid she'll snoop in your room," Draco stated with a laugh before he caught her glare.

"She's dangerous Draco, we all know that," Robin crossed his arms.

"But she's family!" Draco told him, "And besides, you let Blackfire on the team and she's done things just as bad."

"You're never going to stop mentioning that, are you?" Blackfire moaned.

"Plus, no offence girls, Jinx and Terra used to be enemies too," Draco noticed the shameful frowns on Jinx and Terra's faces, "And Robin, you worked for Slade too, though for the right reasons, but tell me who hasn't succumbed to his or her dark side before?" everyone was silent, "Exactly. Good and evil is within all of us, even if we do choose good." That was surprisingly very deep and insightful, coming from Draco.

"This has something to do with your mother, doesn't it?" Shadow asked. All the other Titans turned to the snake Knight and gasped in shock, "Their mother knows."

Draco frowned, "She does."

"But why would she let your sister become evil?' Starfire asked.

"She believes that we have to make our own choices, our own futures," Draco shrugged, "Besides, Okaasan doesn't like it when we fight and Okaasan is the only one Kat respects and is willing to listen to, except for the changing sides part." He saw their skeptical looks, "I understand how you guys feel and yes, it is strange that I can trust her after all she's done to us. However, I am not going to turn my back on her. Doing so would only make me sink to a lower level...her level."

"How noble," Shadow hissed sarcastically.

"Just, give her a chance, okay guys?" The Titans heard clapping behind them and saw Kat standing near the doorframe.

"Nice speech little brother, but don't bother trying to convert me," she smirked, "My mind is already made up." she then teleported away. Draco sighed sadly.

"Well, that sums is up," Robin said, "We can't trust her."

Draco stood up and stormed out of the room. "Draco!" Jinx called but he didn't hear her. She turned to glare at the other Titans, "Now look what you did!"

"You actually agree with this?" Raven asked skeptically.

"Yes, I do. Ryuki has a point. He stood by me when no one else did and I think this is my chance to repay him. I love him and I'm going to support him, no matter how stupid the reason," Jinx said firmly. Blackfire and Terra nodded.

"And Draco is right. Turning his sister away is just hypocritical," Terra reasoned, "You had no trouble forgiving me after all I did…except Raven, but you still took me back."

"And even if she is evil, I was too," Blackfire finished, "I tried to get my own sister sent to prison in my place. And I've been to prison. It's a fate worse than death."

It seemed that it was a split up decision.

"I guess we have no choice then," Robin sighed.

"You can't be serious!" Cyborg shouted.

"I think Terra, Jinx and my sister have a point," Starfire said, "There is always a chance for forgiveness for anyone, even evil. We are heroes and it is our duty to help others, even if they are evil."

"But can we trust her?" Raven asked.

"No matter how evil Katherine is," Shadow paused, "She has never broken a promise. She is honorable, in an evil kind of way."

"She follows a twisted version of Ninja and Samurai honor. She will remain loyal to anyone who treats her well and judging by how loyal she is to Slade, he's been treating her very well," Pluto summarized.

"In other words, she won't switch sides anytime soon." Shadow continued, "However, I felt something…off about Katherine. She's a little upset. I don't know why since she blocked me out of her mind, but from what my empathy can catch, she was crying before she came here."

"I felt that too," Raven added, "She's upset but doesn't want to talk about it."

* * *

Kat sat on a rock that was located on the Island's coast. She was absentmindedly throwing rocks into the water to see them skip over the surface. She whispered, "I'm sorry Rose…"

* * *

(Flashback)

ARMS, Aqua, Copycat and Scizzors were in the training simulator and fighting off Slade's android troopers. they were doing well as ARMS blasted them with his shoulder cannons while Scizzors melted into liquid metal and morphed into a spiked mace that smashed a few to pieces. The mute musician was able to speak when he was in armor so he didn't have to use telepathy anymore. He re-morphed and his arms turned into sharp metal blades and he sliced the heads off a couple of troopers. Copycat was slashing at troopers left and right and then she saw that Aqua was unarmed, on the ground, and was about to get hit by an android. Instinctively, she leapt up and drove her claws through the android's body from the top. She landed, satisfied with her work.

"What the hell are you doing?" Aqua shouted. Copycat was taken aback.

"Saving you?" Copycat replied.

"Who said I needed saving? I had everything under control!" she shouted.

"Control? What control? You would've gotten hurt if I didn't come in!" Copycat shouted back.

"I'm not some weak baby you need to protect all the time! I can take care of myself!"

"I DO IT COZ I LOVE YOU, YOU IDIOT!" Copycat shouted.

"WELL, IF YOU LOVE ME, TRUST ME THAT I CAN TAKE CARE OF MYSELF!" Aqua raised her voice.

"I DO TRUST YOU!"

"THEN LET ME TACE CARE OF MYSELF!"

"WELL…FINE!"

"FINE!"

"FINE!"

"FINE!"

Copycat stormed out of the training simulator while Aqua looked away with arms crossed. ARMS and Scizzors looked at their sister with worry and Slade, in the control room, felt uneasy that his daughter and apprentice had a fight.

"This won't be good…" Slade said worriedly

(End Flashback)

* * *

Kat wanted to apologize to Rose, but her pride prevented her. So, she decided to stay with her brother and his friends to clear her head. She snorted.

"Staying in a place where nearly everyone hates my guts." She said sarcastically, "Wonderful idea…" she sighed, "I was only trying to protect her and she takes it the wrong way."

"Protect who?" Kat jumped and saw that it was her brother.

"Oh, it's you."

"What're you doing out here?" he asked.

"Just thinking," she replied simply.

"Okay." he sat down next to her and began throwing stones across the water.

"So do I stay or do I go?"

"It's kind of mixed up right now."

"Well, they have every reason to distrust me, which brings up a question: Why do you trust me?"

"You're family," was his simple answer.

"That's it?" she was skeptical.

"Hey, I will never turn my back on my family, good or evil," he smiled.

"Whatever…" Kat retorted, "You're too forgiving, you know that?"

"I do," he sighed, "But I guess that what makes me who I am."

"We're total opposites, aren't we?" she laughed.

"Have been since we were little," he laughed too.

"Remember when we were 5 and you wouldn't go near the water, so I had to push you in the pool?"

"I was thrashing around until I got a hold of your leg and pulled you in!"

"Yeah, at least I learnt how to swim, you never did."

"I had water issues," Ryuki changed the subject, "What about gramps' training?"

"Those were brutal," Kat said to him, "But fun."

"Masochistic, aren't you?"

"Just a glutton for punishment!" she laughed.

"I miss hanging out with you, you know that?" he admitted.

"In a way, I do too, little brother," she punched his arm slightly, "Just can't believe you forgive me after I tried to kill you and your friends."

"That's who you are and that's who I am."

"Not good enough a reason."

"It's the only one I've got."

Kat inspected her sharp nails and sighed, "Even after all this time, I will never understand you little brother."

"Likewise Neko-oneechan." he then asked, "So what did you and Rose fight about?"

Kat froze and looked away, "None of your business!" she hissed. Ryuki knew she was upset but was too proud to admit it.

"She probably couldn't get some!" Yaminekoryu said snidely as he appeared. Both twins glared at him.

"SHUT UP!" they shouted in unison. The spirit disappeared.

"The one thing I don't regret about not being 'Draco', that annoying demon," Kat hissed.

"Believe me; I have to live with him in my head."

"Must be torture," she said sympathetically. "I'm amazed that you haven't gone completely bonkers yet."

"Well, you need to learn how to tune him out," he shrugged, "I just ignore him or block him out when I can."

"Like when you have sex with Jinx?' Kat smirked and her smirk grew wider when she saw her brother's expression. "Don't be surprised, I can smell her off you."

His face was red as his hair and his eyes were wide open. He didn't know what to say. She then turned her attention to a bubblegum pink haired witch in black who was running towards them, calling out her brother's name, "RYUKI!" Kat blinked. Maybe Jinx was REALLY close to Draco to let her call him by his first name. Takada and Ichijyo didn't have the honor and merely called him Leo or Draco. The rest of the Titans settled on with his codename and sometimes his nickname. Jinx reached them and gave Kat a disgusted glare before pulling Draco up to his feet. She then said to Kat, "The others want to see you."

"Okay," Kat stood up, "You coming?" she asked the couple. Jinx shook her head. "Okay…" Kat then flew off towards the Tower. Jinx turned to her boyfriend and pushed him to the ground. She had a smirk on her face and licked her lips before throwing herself at him and pinning him to the ground.

* * *

Kat was in the living room and surrounded by every member of the Teen Titans, minus Draco and Jinx for obvious reasons and Renia and DT for other reasons as well. Kat felt like an animal on display at the zoo by the way the Titans were staring at her. Their scrutiny and suspicion was not unexpected; after all she did try to kill them on several occasions and coming here would be like she had a death wish.

Right now, she wished for anything than to be glared at by the Teen Titans...Teen? They should really start changing their names to just "The Titans". Teen Titans just doesn't put much fear into the hearts of criminals anymore, in her own honest opinion.

Oh well, time to be judged.

* * *

(Slade's Mansion, Rose's room)

Rose's room was colored pure blue with posters of boy bands on the walls. Her bed was a four poster canopy bed with blue bed sheets and fluffy white pillows. There was also a walk in closet and a case filled with her uniform and weapons. Stuffed animals could also be seen in her room, mostly stuffed teddy-bears of every kind and color. There was a bookshelf with several books in it and magazines strewn all over the lush blue carpeting on the floor.

The girl in question, Rose, was lying face down on the bed. Her deck was on a nightstand next to her bed where a framed photograph of her and Kat had been laid face down. Her Zodiac Deck of Aquarius was clutched in her hand…Rose was on her bed, and she was crying.

Why was she crying you ask? Well, she had a fight with her best friend and girlfriend Neko Katherine Hasuma, Kat to her friends and Copycat to her enemies and others. Rose was allowed to call her Neko, but Rose liked to call her by her pet-name 'Kitty-Kat.'

She lifted up her face and it was painfully obvious that she had been crying for several hours now. Dressed in a white shirt and a denim skirt, she was pretty cute, but also depressed.

* * *

(Slade's study)

Slade was in his study, mask off. He rubbed his temples. What was he to do? First of all, he was still Trigon's servant, like it or not, and had to help his 'Master' bring forth the End of the World. Wow, if that wasn't stressful, his only daughter and his apprentice had a fight and now Kat was with the Titans. He didn't need to worry about Kat since she was too prideful to even think of converting. His worries went over to Rose, believe it or not.

Rose was a good fighter and a pretty good assassin in her own right, not as good as Kat of course but she still deserved bragging rights since in all the training exercises, she and Kat would always be neck to neck. It was a close contest and the girls grew closer because of that competitive spirit. Kat had also grown overly protective of Rose and he was glad to have an apprentice whom he did not need to control or threaten to have her remain loyal to him. At first, he was afraid he'd lose his hold over Kat, but overtime, he grew to trust her as she had never done anything to break that trust. Well, she did sneak up on him, but he could see it a mile away. She was persistent, he'd give her that, but the Cat Knight of Mimicry had a long way to go.

Of course, the only reason Kat had stayed with him for so long was because of Rose and even that was being threatened after their little fight in the training room.

Now, how to mend this problem? He couldn't just force the two back together, he would lose Kat in a blink of an eye and he couldn't just talk to Rose…his experience with children had been severely lacking as his work had always gotten in the way. Now, he may have had a way to fix that by raising his children and Kat. Now, he had to help his child with relationship problems.

Truth be told, fighting the Titans seemed much easier compared to talking to Rose on how to win Kat back…even if it was Kat's fault to begin with.

Grant was of no help and his continuous taunting had landed him in the infirmary right after Kat had kicked him in the…and Joey was in Steel City going on a date with a girl named Erika…well, at least his mute son was happy.

"Troubled, sir?" Wintergreen entered carrying a tray of tea.

"Ah, Wintergreen, just the man I needed to talk to. Please, take a seat," Slade offered.

The loyal butler to a seat across from his employer and long time friend and poured them both cups of tea. "Does this have anything to do with Miss Katherine or Miss Rose?"

"Both actually," Slade sighed. "I need some advice badly. When it comes to battle I am an expert…but teenage romances and relationships are completely out of my league."

"I see…Well sir, I think the first thing to do is to confront the problem, starting with a talk with Miss Rose." Well duh. "Comfort her. I passed her room just now and I heard her sobbing into her pillow."

"My daughter…sobbing?' An assassin sobbing, how very strange… "So…I need to go talk to her?"

"She needs to be given a slight push, sir. If not, she'll be depressed for a very long time…and you may lose another apprentice."

And Slade did not want either to happen.

"Thank you, Wintergreen. You've been a great help."

"Always here to help, Sir."

* * *

Rose heard knocking on her door. She yelled out, "Go away!"

"Rose, dear, it's me," Slade said softly from the other side of the door.

"Daddy?" Rose sniffled. "What do you want?"

"Can I come in?"

"Why?"

"Just to talk."

"Coming." Rose went over to her door and opened it. Upon seeing her father, she immediately burst into tears and hugged him. "DADDY!!! I MISS MY KITTY-KAT!!!" she cried out. Slade sweatdropped.

'_Maybe this will be harder than I thought.'_ She blew her nose on his suit. '_Ugh!' _

To Be Continued…


	81. PT081: Catfights

Part 81: Catfights

Kat was the centre of attention. She sat in the middle of the living room, on the couch, surrounded by the Titans, minus her brother and Jinx. She crossed her arms and leaned back against the seat. Her legs were crossed.

The tension was so thick that you could cut it with a knife.

She sighed, "Okay, let's get this over with." She added, "And I'll only answer one question from each of you, so make it good."

Robin was the first to ask, "Why are you here?"

She inspected her nails and answered, "I have my reasons."

"That's not an answer," he remarked.

"It is the one I'm giving you," she retorted.

Starfire was next, "Do you have any malicious intentions whatsoever in annihilating us?"

Kat looked at her and shook her head, "No, I don't. I gave you my word that I wouldn't do anything considered evil while I am here."

Beast Boy scoffed under his breath, "Yeah right."

"If you want to say something, _Garfield_ say it to my face," Kat glared. Beast Boy gulped.

"How can we believe you?" Raven asked next.

"Believe me," Kat answered, "If I wanted you all dead, you would be." This caused most of the Titans to cringe, except for Raven and Shadow, at the calm tone of her voice.

"Can we trust you on this?" Blackfire asked.

"No, you can't," Kat answered simply, "It's in your nature as heroes to be distrustful of a villain like me. Then again…weren't you a villain, Blackfire?" Blackfire's eyes widened and she backed away. The way Kat was looking at her, it was as if she was looking deep into her own soul.

Terra asked, "What did Slade promise you? Why do you even stay with him after knowing what he has planned?"

Kat wagged her finger, "Sorry Terra, just one question from you. I'll answer the first one then," she paused, "He promised me the chance to kill my brother and all I have to do was eliminate the Titans for him."

The Titans were silent. She was brutally honest and held a straight face. She either had no fear or didn't show it. It was hard to tell from her hardened expression. Terra stood up, "Okay! I don't know about you guys, but I am not letting this evil psychotic bitch stay here!" she shouted, pointing at Kat.

"Takes one to know one," Kat purred, "Traitor." Terra gave Kat the most venomous glare she could muster. Kat didn't flinch, but Beast Boy did. Her boyfriend pulled her down.

"Terra," he whispered, "Relax."

Kat eyed Pluto and Shadow, "What's the matter, cat got your tongue?" she joked. Shadow and Pluto narrowed their eyes at the Knight of Cats and Mimicry.

"We have nothing to say to you," Shadow hissed. Pluto nodded in agreement. Kat snorted.

"Still angry over the fact that I was and always have been your enemy and kept it from you? Get over it!" She said to them.

Terra said, "Robin, we can't let her stay here. She's dangerous!"

Kat retorted, "So is everyone else here if they lose control," Kat interjected. "Especially _you._ Caused any earthquakes lately?" Terra balled her fist, "What's the matter? Mad? Don't lose control or you'll sink the joint." Kat taunted. Terra screamed and threw her fist. Kat grabbed the flying appendage and twisted it, making Terra scream. The other Titans stood up, ready to attack her.

"Let her go," Robin demanded, "Now."

Kat scowled and pushed Terra away. Beast Boy and Pluto held the blonde geomancer back and away from Kat, who just dusted off her clothes.

"Keep her on a leash," Kat stated.

"We'll deal with Terra after we deal with you," Robin said threateningly.

Kat rolled her eyes, "Whatever…" she eyed something, "You know…you're kinda cute."

Starfire immediately stood in front of Robin, jealousy radiating from her glowing eyes, "You will stay away from Robin!"

"Who says I was talking about Tweety?" Kat purred, leaning in closer to Starfire, "I was talking about you, cutie...Did you know red is my favorite color since it's the color of blood?" Starfire's eyes widened. Was Kat hitting on her? The Tamaranian princess squeaked and hid behind Robin, feeling a little creeped out from Kat's advances. The other Titans looked at her strangely. "Oh, come on! Didn't any of you know that I am an ACTIVE bisexual?" Besides the Knights and Beast Boy, everyone shook their heads. "Although, I prefer girls more to men since that _incident_…" her eyes narrowed at Pluto and he gulped. He knew she was referring to when he cheated on her.

Cyborg asked Beast Boy, "You know? How?"

Beast Boy smirked, "I have my ways…" Shadow rolled his eyes.

Robin rubbed his masked covered eyes. Kat leaned back and twirled her hair around her finger, "Are we going to be doing this any longer? I mean, I only came here to crash, not experience the reenactment of the Spanish Inquisition or a Salem Witch trial or whatever this interrogation is supposed to be." She looked out the window, "Plus, it's getting late. Don't you guys need to sleep or whatever?"

The Titans looked at the clock. It was already late and they were tired. Jinx and Draco had probably gone to bed. The Titans all nodded in agreement. Kat stood up and yawned, "I'll be sleeping in Ryuki's room. I bet he's not in this time, judging from what I saw outside a while ago. Night!" she walked away and into the hallway.

Robin whispered into Cyborg's ear, "Put up some extra security for tonight. I don't trust her." Cyborg nodded in agreement.

And with that, the Titans said goodnight to each other and went to bed.

* * *

(The Next Morning…)

Raven wasn't usually a morning person. The sun was seeping through her curtains and the rays of light were shining on her face. She moved her face away. For some reason, the bed felt weird, like there was someone in it with her. She scowled. "Shadow…if it's you I'm gonna…" She then, reluctantly, cocked her eye open. There looking back at her was a grinning Katherine Hasuma.

"Was it good for you too?" she purred.

Raven's eyes shot wide open.

The dark empath reacted the only way she could.

She let out a scream.

* * *

(Cut to outside the Tower)

**_"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK!!!"_******

****

* * *

The other Titans, alarmed upon hearing Raven's scream, immediately rushed towards Raven's room, Shadow leading the way. The door slid open and they charged inside, waiting to attack whatever was threatening Raven. They weren't prepared for what they were seeing.

There was Kat, in a black bra and thong, sitting up in Raven's bed while Raven was catatonic and unconscious.

The Titans did not know what to think at the scene. Of course, some of the boys were border lining on the dirty and kinky. Shadow went over and revived Raven. Raven's eyes slowly fluttered open and looking back at her was her boyfriend.

"Raven, what happened?" he asked. He suspected that it had something to do with Kat.

Raven then said, in a shaky voice, "She…was in bed…with me…"

The Titans turned their heads to the evil Cat Knight of Mimicry as she stretched and yawned, arching her back and pushing out her bra covered breasts. The boys, mostly Cy, BB and Pluto, ogled at her before the changeling and mad scientist got smacked in the head by their significant others.

Draco groaned, "Oneechan…what did you do?"

Kat grinned, throwing herself onto the bed, on her front and propped her chin in her hands and her legs dangling in the air. "I just gave her a good morning," she grinned at Raven, "By the way you got an awesome bod, especially in the breast department."

Raven didn't know whether to be flattered or creeped out by Kat's (lewd) compliment. Shadow hissed at the evil Knight. Kat cocked her eyebrows at them all, "Do you mind? I'm not decent."

Terra muttered under her breath, "Since when we're you ever decent?" If Kat heard her, she didn't care and ignored her. She then wrapped the blanket around her body and headed towards the door.

"I'm gonna take a shower and get dressed. See you at breakfast," she winked at them and headed out, going pass the Titans. When she left, Robin glared accusingly at Draco. Draco shrugged.

"How was I supposed to know she'd do something like that?" was the dragon Knight's answer. The Titans all groaned.

Pluto whispered into Cy's ear, "Did you get any good pictures?" he grinned a horn-dog grin.

Robin was starting to think that having Kat here was more trouble than it was worth.

* * *

(Slade's Mansion)

Slade, Grant and Joey were standing in front of Rose's door, outside her room. They heard crying and a lot of it coming from within the room. Rose was still very upset over her fight with Kat and the male populace of the house had no idea what to do.

* * *

Inside the room, Rose was flipping through a photo album, filled mainly with photos of her and Kat. There was one of their first date, one of them going to the aquarium (Kat snapped and hissed at a shark), another one at the arcade and several more of them smiling together…happy.

Rose was deeply upset. She wanted Kat back…but Kat needed to apologize first. Right now, Rose was questioning if Kat even really cared about her.

Rose missed Kat, a lot. Just where was she and why wasn't she back yet?

* * *

( Titans Tower)

Kat was dressed in her black uniform with the golden bracelets and black high heels and whip. Her bow was in her hair and her goggles were pulled up. She was sipping a glass of milk as she ate a bowl of oatmeal. The Titans were watching her. Raven was sitting next to Shadow and they were having a mental conversation.

((I…Want…Her…OUT!)) Raven definitely sounded mad…actually, mad wasn't the half of it.

((YOU tell her that.)) Shadow retorted. ((You have no idea what it's like trying to talk to her. She's stubborn and crazy. Not a good combination))

((I don't care!)) Raven's eye twitched. ((I don't think I'll be able to meditate properly if she stays here, doing whatever she was doing…))

((I know. I don't like this either. However, I don't think that we can do anything about her staying here. Draco's defending her and his judgment is usually right)) he added ((Usually…))

Draco and Kat were having a very animated conversation. He was having a bowl of cornflakes with a glass of orange juice. Anyway, they were talking like they were friends, or as close to friends as they could. They were laughing.

"Remember when we got stuck up that tree when we were 7?" Kat giggled.

"Only after you dared me to," he added, "And then you climbed up, but then we both got stuck!" he laughed.

"Yeah, we were up there for hours until gramps and mama found us," Kat smiled.

Draco sighed, "Yeah. Good thing I can fly now."

"You can?" Kat blinked. "On that new bike you got?"

"The Jet Slinger?" he shrugged, "Yeah, it's cool, but it's nothing compared to flying on your own power."

"I have to agree on that."

Despite her trying to kill Draco on so many occasions, the Titans still couldn't believe that they were actually being civil to one another. Well, everyone but Pluto and Shadow who knew the Hasuma twins well. The twins were actually acting like a pair of loving siblings.

Jinx scooted closer to Draco and leaned her head on his shoulder. Her hand went under the table and she stroked her hand up and down his thigh. He shivered. Her foot then brushed up against his leg and they started playing 'footsie' under the table. Kat grinned, but let the two lovers be. She then turned her attention to Raven.

"You know Raven," Kat said, startling the tea drinking sorceress, "I want to say that I'm sorry for freaking you out. It was just a little joke. Sorry."

Kat apologize? That was really a first.

Raven narrowed her eyes at the girl. It was a good thing that Raven had been wearing the pendant or else the Tower would've blown up or something. Luckily, it was only a slight tremor. However, Raven wasn't going to just let it go.

"A _joke_?" Raven questioned.

"Hell yeah, and your reaction was so cute. Though," Kat picked her ear, "You should tone down that screeching. My ears are sensitive, y'know."

A cross vein popped up on Raven's forehead. Raven was half tempted to leap over the table and pummel Kat for scaring the living daylights out of her. Kat had scared _her_ and had the nerve to complain!

"I'll try…" Raven gritted her teeth, her fists clenching and unclenching.

Kat turned her attention to the other Titans. Aside from Cyborg (whose girlfriend didn't live in the Tower), everyone was sitting next to their significant other. Her brother had Jinx, Robin had Starfire, Pluto had Blackfire, Shadow had Raven and Beast Boy had Terra. She looked down sadly…she was starting to think about…think about…Rose…She absentmindedly mixed her oatmeal around with her spoon. She was depressed without Rose, but she just couldn't…couldn't…

Robin drank his coffee and wiped his mouth, "Okay. Time for combat practice Titans," he added as his gaze fell upon Copycat, "Even you."

Kat lifted up her bowl and swallowed the rest of the oatmeal. Wiping her mouth, she grinned and pulled her goggles down over her eyes. "Let's do this!" she cracked her knuckles and flexed her claws.

* * *

(Obstacle Course)

Cyborg rammed right through the obstacle course and stopped at the finish line, taking the flag in is hand. He checked his timer and grinned.

"Booyah! New course record!" Cyborg cheered.

Shadow and Robin were up on the control console. Shadow rolled his eyes, "That's because you went first." Cyborg chuckled nervously.

The other Titans were on the sidelines. Cyborg walked over to them and Beast Boy and Pluto gave him pats on the back.

Robin then said, "Okay…next up is Copycat!"

Copycat grinned, her eyes glinting under her goggles. Draco, her brother, placed a hand on her shoulder and gave her words of encouragement, "Good luck Kat. Break a leg."

Terra muttered under her breath, "Break both if you can."

Kat narrowed her eyes and cracked her knuckles and shook her wrists. She did some stretches and went to the starting line. Kat then shouted, "Give me the HIGHEST setting you got! Don't hold back on me!"

Robin and Shadow looked to each other and shrugged. Robin then raised the level of the obstacle course to 12. That was the highest level they had. Hopefully, Copycat was able to handle it.

Actually, Copycat was looking forward to it. She got down and Robin began, "On your marks, get set…" he shouted, "GO!" Kat then sped off into the course, ready for whatever may pop out to stop her. "ZODIAC FORCE OF THE CAT!" her armor quickly encased her body.

Several flamethrowers shot out of the ground and blasted at her. Her eyes flashed and she created a psychic shield around her body to protect herself. She mocked, "Flamethrowers? Is that the best you Titans got?" she ran pass the first obstacle without breaking a sweat.

Next several stone walls rose up in front of her. She rolled her eyes and they flashed again. She flew up and turned intangible, flying through the walls like a ghost. There was a possibility that she may have encountered Danny Phantom. This was too easy.

The next obstacles were several metal orbs flying in her direction and firing lasers at her. Copycat grinned and flipped back and somersaulted over the shots. She then fired a green energy blast from her claws that slashed the orbs to pieces. One tried to shoot at her from behind, but she anticipated it and her body glowed purple before she shrunk down. She grew back to normal size before her body glowed red and she created 10 duplicates of herself and started to jump up and slash the remaining orbs to pieces. She pulled the dupes back into her body before she landed.

Finally, the last obstacle was a giant mechanical T-Rex. Kat grinned and extended her claws, "Time to face extinction." The Dinosaur roared and charged forward, snapping at Kat with its large razor sharp teeth. She jumped out of the way, but did not anticipate several metallic tendrils shooting out from the ground and grabbing her arms and legs, immobilizing her. She was stuck and the robo-dino was getting closer.

"ONEECHAN! YOU CAN DO IT!" Draco shouted.

Copycat heard her brother's cheer and grinned. Her body let out a blue glow as she tore the tendrils out of the ground. She then swung the tendrils out and knocked the robot onto its side. Tearing off the tendrils, Copycat rushed forward, now her hands glowing green, and stabbed her claws into the robot's chest, ripping the metal off so that she could reach for the circuits and tear them out. The robot exploded, throwing Kat into the air. The Cat Knight did a mid air flip and landed on the finish line. Her armor deactivated soon after and disappeared.

All the Titans stared at her with wide eyes. No one had ever completed a level 12 in such a short time. The highest they ever got to, any of them, was level 11.

Except for Terra, Shadow and Raven (for good reason), nearly all the Titans went over to Kat and gave her their congrats. She smiled as she absorbed the admiration.

"That was wild!" Blackfire grinned. "I like your style!"

"You were magnificent!" Starfire said happily.

"That was so cool!" Beast Boy shouted.

"Yeah!" Cyborg agreed.

"Maybe you ain't so bad, Kat," Pluto said to her.

Robin added, "Not bad."

"I knew you could do it sis!" Draco said.

"I hate to admit it, but you were awesome out there!" Jinx said.

Terra couldn't handle this. She exploded, "Guys! I can't believe you! She's evil and she's tried to kill us so many times and now you're just congratulating her for running through the obstacle course!" she glared at BB, "And you too, Gar! I thought you knew better."

"But Terra…she's…" Beast Boy tried to answer, but Kat went up to her and stared her in the eye.

"I may be a lot of things, but a traitor I ain't blondie," Kat turned and walked away from Terra. Terra balled her fists and gritted her teeth, eyes clenched tight. She then let out a scream a tackled Kat to the ground. The two girls began rolling around, punching, clawing and slapping each other.

Pluto shouted, "Woohoo! Catfight! Catfight!" Cyborg and Beast Boy joined in the chant. Shadow and Robin went to break it up, pulling the two girls away from each other.

"Bitch! Psycho!" Terra yelled, kicking out her legs.

"Traitor! Bimbo!" Kat yelled out, snarling.

"Enough you two!" Robin held back Terra.

"Don't make us give you a time out!" Shadow scolded Kat, whom he was holding back.

Suddenly, parts of the Titans costumes began blinking red. Kat raised her eyebrow at this, "Okay…why is everyone blinking?"

* * *

Rose decided to get her mind of the subject (Kat) and turned on the TV. She let out a gasp at what she was seeing.

"Kitty-Kat…?"

To Be Continued…


	82. PT082: Catastrophe

Part 82: Catastrophe

The children's hospital downtown was on fire. The red hot flames were rising up into the sky as black clouds of smoke billowed all around the area. The Jump City Fire Department was already at the scene, hard at work at putting out the fires as paramedics and ambulances awaited for any injured survivors to come out for immediate treatment before they were taken to the hospital. Police were doing crowd control, keeping back some of the civilians.

One of the fireman shouted, "This fire can't be put out! No matter how much we hose it down, it's still getting bigger!"

Another fireman, holding another hose shouted, "Keep on hosing it down! Sooner or later it just has to go out!"

Ladders were extended to the higher floors so that some firemen could go in and look for any injured survivors as a team at the bottom held onto a trampoline to catch anyone. There were reporters everywhere and camera men, obviously trying to get a good story for the evening news. Some civilians were also watching the scene from afar

Just then, in the nick of time, the Titans arrived. Robin commanded, "Draco, Cyborg, Pluto and Beast Boy, help put out the fire! Starfire, Blackfire and Terra, help down some of the people in the building! Jinx, Shadow and Raven, help the paramedics with the injured!" his gaze fell on Copycat, "And you, don't cause any trouble. Titans! Go!"

The Titans went to work. Pluto changed Cyberdog into cannon mode and started spraying out the fire like a fire extinguisher and Cyborg helped some of the firemen hose down the fire with Beast Boy who was in elephant form and using his trunk to spray water, while Draco focused his ice and fire powers together to shoot out a stream of water. Blackfire, Starfire and Terra were at the windows at the higher floors, helping to take down some of the patients and hospital staff. Blackfire and Starfire carried a few children down by holding the little ones in their arms and on their backs while Terra brought people down upon a large rock platform, which she summoned. Shadow, Raven and Jinx were hard at work, healing some of the injured while Robin questioned the head fireman on the cause of the fire. Copycat crossed her arms and watched as the Titans did their heroics. Suddenly, she narrowed her eyes as her ears picked up something. The sound was incoherent, but she could still hear it. She then ran into the building, surprising Robin and some of the reporters as well as the Titans.

"What is she doing?" Raven demanded.

* * *

Copycat was inside, goggles pulled down. The fire was blazing and weakened much of the building's foundation and support. Sooner or later it would crumble down. She searched around. She even climbed the stairs, avoiding some flaming rubble. Beads of sweat started forming on her face. She kept looking and that was when she saw it…

A little girl was huddled in the corner, frightened and hurt. Copycat knocked away some of the rubble and shielded herself from the searing hot flames. Copycat then dropped down crawled over to the little girl. The little girl saw her.

"Don't be afraid, little girl. I've come to help," Copycat told her softly and reassuringly.

"Are you," the girl sniffled and tears formed on her large blue eyes, "Are you one of the Titans?" she was talking about Kat's costume.

"Sort of," Copycat admitted sheepishly. "Now, give me your hand. We have to get out of here." Copycat held out her hand and the little girl grabbed it. Copycat immediately pulled the girl into a protective embrace as one of the support beams on the roof fell down like a flaming stick. The girl hugged Kat tighter, but she didn't mind.

"You have a name?" Kat asked, trying to make conversation.

The little girl, who didn't seem any older than 5, answered, "Ash…Ashley…"

"Well, don't worry, Ashley, I'm gonna get you out," Kat said, 'But how?' She then realized something and said to Ashley, "Hey, wanna see some magic?" Ashley nodded, as long as this 'magic' saved their lives, she didn't care.

"Like Raven?" the little girl asked.

"Oh, better…" Copycat's belt buckle flashed, "ZODIAC FORCE OF THE CAT!" Copycat's body was immediately encased in her protective suit of black and red cat body armor. Ashley's eyes widened.

"Wow…"

"It ain't over yet," Kat said, shielding Ashley from the flames. She drew a card from her belt and slid it into the buckle. "XL Vent: Excel Active." There was a flash of light and the red parts of Copycat's armor turned black with scarlet energy streams, similar to the patterns on her brother's Excel Suit. She then cradled Ashley in her arms and ran through the flames with the girl. Ashley shut her eyes as Copycat erected an energy field around her body to protect the little girl. They were both headed for the window. That was when Copycat spoke into her wrist watch, "Activate Jets!" before she leapt out of the window. "Ashley! Hold on tight!"

* * *

One of the civilians pointed up and shouted, "Look up there!" Everyone, the paramedics, the reporters, the Titans and the firemen looked up to see one of the windows on the higher floors shattered as something zoomed out; a black and scarlet blur to be exact.

The Titans in the air saw whom it was and Draco was the first to speak, "Kat-Oneechan?"

A large black and scarlet jetpack equipped with laser blasters and missile launchers was attached to Copycat's back. This was her CAT-Sky Attacker. She was holding onto a little blonde girl. She then slowly landed onto the ground using the vertical jets to slowly hover down safely. Her armor and jetpack deactivated and disappeared as she placed the girl in the care of the paramedics. As soon as she did, Copycat was immediately applauded and swarmed by reporters.

"Who are you?"

"You got a name?"

"Are you related to any of the Titans?"

"Why did you just run in?"

"You a new Titan or what?"

Similar and more questions were being asked and then Draco pushed through the swarm and stood by his sister's side.

Draco answered, "Her name's Copycat and she's my sister and she's sort of like a Titan."

"I'm a temporary Titan," Copycat added, sticking up her finger to emphasize her point. That was when the little girl who Copycat saved went up to the Cat Knight and gave her a small flower.

Ashley said softly, "Thank you."

Kat was shocked and her eyes widened slightly. She stared at Ashley and the flower while she mumbled, "You're…you're welcome…" and then she made a mad dash out of the scene, not looking back. The Titans were puzzled at her behavior.

"What's wrong with her?" Robin asked Draco.

"I don't know, but I'm gonna find out," Draco took to the air and followed his sister.

* * *

"One strawberry milkshake, please," Copycat ordered. She was in a diner, sitting at the bar, and had just ordered a drink. Minutes later, her order came and she sipped the strawberry milkshake through a straw, slowly. She was thinking…and thinking hard…

About what?

She was confused about a lot of things. She was evil, wasn't she? At least that was what she believed all this time and Slade had said that she had a lot of potential at being evil. However, why had she gone in and saved the girl? Because she could? But why else? She was just so confused…if she was really evil, why did she…?

Draco found her and pushed the doors of the diner open and walked in before seating himself at the bar next to her. He then said to the waitress, "I'll have whatever she's having." He turned his attention to his sister and pulled up his goggles, "Hey Kat…"

"Hey Leo," she didn't even look at him, just staring down at the counter, sipping her milkshake.

"What's wrong?" he asked, genuinely concerned about his sister.

"Nothing," she muttered an obvious lie.

"Really?" he asked. His order came and he took some sips, "Ah…" he sighed, "That hits the spot."

"What are you doing here?" she asked him.

"I was worried about you," he told her.

"Yeah right," she scoffed. "What about your friends?"

"Well…" he noticed the TV and it was on the news report about the fire. The reporters were interviewing the Titans and several of the people saved from the fire. He asked the waitress to turn up the volume so that Kat could hear.

"Copycat is one of the many heroes here today. Despite everything, she rushed in and saved a little girl. I guess she can be called a hero for what she did," Robin said to the reporters.

Copycat rolled her eyes, "Of course Robin would say that. He forgot to mention that I was a criminal." Draco groaned. This time, the little girl that Copycat had saved, Ashley, was being interviewed.

"The cat lady was nice. She saved me. I think she is good," Ashley said. Copycat cringed.

"She's wrong," Copycat muttered, "I'm not good."

"Aren't you?" Draco asked, "Then why did you save her?"

"…" Copycat was silent; she didn't have an answer to that question. Draco decided to ask his twin sister another question.

"Why did you bail after that?"

"Ashley…she…when she thanked me and gave me the flower…I just felt so…"

"Good?" he supplied.

"I don't know," she was confused, "I mean, I felt satisfied that I saved her, but…But after she thanked me…"

"Of course she'd thank you. You saved her life," Draco smiled and then asked, "So, what's the problem?"

"I'm Slade's apprentice, a criminal and enemy of the Titans," she answered, "But yet…I saved someone's life."

"You always said that you had your own sense of honor, oneechan. And Okaasan would be proud of you," Draco placed a hand on her shoulder. He sipped up the rest of his milkshake.

Copycat pulled up her goggles and smiled at her brother, "You're a weird one you know that?"

"How so?" he replied with a question.

"Despite all the stuff I've done you still welcome and accept me."

"Heck, you're kin. No matter what, you're still my sister and family has to stick together."

"Of course, don't get me wrong, I will beat you, little brother," she promised.

"And I'll do my best to fight back," he smirked. She grinned and then they hugged.

"Thanks."

"No problem," he let go, "By the way, where did you get all that gear?"

"The jetpack and Excel Suit?" she shrugged, "Got the stuff sent to me in a box."

Draco decided not to interrogate her. If she got any gear for Smart Brain, it was probably since Kat deserved it. "Wanna go back to the Tower?"

"Are you sure I'm still welcomed?"

"Trust me," he told her reassuringly.

"Yeah, but first let's take a detour first, okay?"

* * *

(Slade's monitor room)

Slade, Grant and Joey watched all that had happened on the monitors. Slade muttered under his breath, "Not good…not good at all…"

To Be Continued…

ZX-RIDERS

The ZX-Riders are new battle AI equipped smart bikes and armed to the teeth with weapons that would put the military to shame. These ZX-Riders can transform from their default mode to an alternate mode. Pluto got the ZX-Motor Majin, Shadowcobra got the ZX-Shadow Basher and Draco got the ZX-Jet Slinger and ZX-Dragchaser

SB-364ZX ZX-MOTOR MAJIN**Gears Online**

**mecha and more**This is Zodiac Knight's Pluto's motorcycle. It can transform into a humanoid battle mode and move on its own thanks to an advance AI. When in battle mode, the back wheel becomes a hover jet allowing it to fly. The front wheel becomes the "buster wheel", a wheel-shape gatling gun. Its handlebar also becomes the "DOG-Katana," an energy sword for Pluto

STATS (Vehicle Mode)

Length: 2.1 Meters

Height: 1.26 Meters

Width: 0.88 Meters

Weight: 207 kg

Top Speed: 380 km/h

STATS (Battle Mode)

Height: 2.05 Meters

Weight: 207 kg

SB-765ZX ZX-SHADOW BASHER

Zodiac Knight Shadowcobra's ZX-Rider, the Shadow Basher, is an artificially intelligent motorcycle with an attached side-car, designed especially as a back up for Shadowcobra. It can transform from a motorcycle into an A.I. controlled combat walker. Its battle mode is much more powerful than Motor Majin's as its concept is a movable turret. The six exhaust pipes become a powerful 6-barrel photon cannon in battle mode as well as a missile launcher. The sidecar can detach and act independently as a drone.

STATS (Vehicle Mode)

Length: 2.37 Meters

Width: 1.96 Meters

Height: 1.17 Meters

Weight: 425 Kilograms

Top Speed: 360 km/h

STATS (Battle Mode)

Length: 2.37 Meters

Width: 1.65 Meters

Height: 2.45 Meters

Weight: 425 Kilograms

Top Speed: 120 km/h

SB-372ZX ZX-JET SLINGER

Zodiac Knight Draco's ZX-Jet Slinger's unique design gives it unparalleled speed, maneuverability and firepower for a vehicle of its size. However, its open cockpit yield little defense, intended to be operated by a pilot wearing armor, providing its own protection. It has 5 powerful jet engines that can drive it forward at speeds approaching 1300 km/h and 3 maneuvering thrusters on each side to allow speedy turns or fast sideways movement. Its wheels can rotate 90 degrees left or right on their axis, allowing the Jet Slinger to drive sideways or spin 360 degrees on the spot. It also has an advance built in battle AI making it a smart machine. It also possesses a flight mode (the wheels roll onto their sides). The Jet Slinger also mounts an impressive array of weapons. It has a high powered Photon Cannon mounted above the front wheel, and a concealed missile rack on either side of the cannon. The missile racks fire 8 missiles each can reload immediately. This is combined with it's open cockpit design that not only facilitates rapid mounting and dismounting, but also allows a rider to use their personal weapons too, but can also be seen as a weakness, as it leaves the pilot (less important, since it was designed to be piloted by those wearing armor) and the control interface vulnerable. (Plans for this vehicle's mass production are still underway)

STATS:

Length: 4.3 Meters

Width: 1.64 Meters

Height: 2.15 Meters

Weight: 525 Kilograms

Top Speed: 1300km/h

(Note: These ZX-Riders are based on vehicles from Kamen Rider 555)

SB-372ZXB ZX-Dragchaser

Draco's secondary ZX-Rider, basically a smaller version of the Jet Slinger and an upgraded version of the Z-Crimson Dragracer. It possesses powerful side thrusters, allowing speedy turns while moving at high speeds. It is armed with missiles but lacks the photon cannon equipped on the Jet Slinger. It does, however, have laser blasters in the headlights. Two miniature jet engines are equipped to the bike, enabling speeds of up to 500 km/h. Despite its small size, compared to the Jet Slinger, its firepower, speed and maneuverability are quite formidable. The bike also has a flight mode (the wheels fold in and the side thrusters become hover jets). The Dragchaser was built seeing as the Jet Slinger was primarily made for combat rather than for casual travel and racing. Also, the Jet Slinger was far too big to be disguised as a civilian vehicle, unlike the Dragchaser.

STATS:

Length: 2.4 Meters

Width: 0.8 Meters

Height: 1.25 Meters

Weight: 230 Kilograms

Top Speed: 500 km/h


	83. PT083: Catnap

Part 83: Catnap

(Jump City General Hospital)

The patients from the children's hospital had been moved to Jump City General Hospital, including the injured staff and personnel. Draco and Copycat walked through the front doors and into the lobby. Copycat went to the counter and asked where Ashley was. The receptionist gave her the room number and floor.

"Ashley Brown is in room 5-B on the fifth floor, children's ward."

Copycat nodded, "Thanks." Draco followed her towards and into the elevator. The elevator went up to the fifth floor and they looked for the room. They finally reached the one marked 5-B.

"Here it is," Kat smiled.

"You sure you want to do this?" Draco asked.

"I ran off when she thanked me. She deserves an apology." She saw a man and woman in the room through the window. They were probably the little girl's parents.

"I'll wait for you at the elevator," Draco informed her.

Kat nodded at her brother before he left. She knocked on the door and pushed it open, "Hello?"

"Copycat!" Ashley squealed happily in bed when she saw the Cat Knight. Mr. and Mrs. Brown immediately went to thank Copycat.

"Thank you! You saved my baby!" Mrs. Brown, a brunette with a large figure hugged Kat tightly, crying out loud. Mr. Brown was a slightly balding man with graying blonde hair.

"We thank you for saving our daughter," Mr. Brown shook Kat's hand after she got out of Mrs. Brown's bear hug.

"It was nothing, really," Kat said modestly, "Just doing my job, that's all." Kat went over to Ashley and kneeled at the foot of the bed, "Hey Ashley, sorry that I ran off like that."

"That's okay. I bet you went to save someone else," Ashley smile. A lump formed in Kat's throat. Kat reached behind her and pulled out a teddy bear!

"Here you go, Ashley!" Kat gave it to her. Ashley giggled and hugged the little bear.

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it," Kat smiled. She then stood up and went to the parents, "Do you mind if we talk, outside?" Ashley parents shrugged and they walked out.

"What's wrong with Ashley?" Kat asked Mr. and Mrs. Brown.

"She's really sick," Mrs. Brown sniffled.

"She has cancer," Mr. Brown clarified.

Kat gasped, "Can…cancer?" they both nodded, "Is it serious?"

"It's still in its earlier stages, we've tried chemotherapy, but it's getting worse. Surgery could save her, but we don't have enough money and our health insurance can only cover so much," Mr. Brown told her sadly.

"We looked through our savings and it's not nearly enough," Mrs. Brown blew her nose on a hanky.

Kat turned her head and looked through the window. Ashley was laughing happily as she played with the bear. The little blonde girl looked at the window and smiled at Kat, waving. Copycat waved back.

"How much do you need?" Copycat asked.

"The operation will cost nearly 10, 000 dollars," Mr. Brown answered. Kat nodded and pulled out a cell phone.

"I need to make a call. Excuse me," she said to them and walked away. She slid the cell phone open and dialed a number. It rang and Kat placed it to her ear, "Hello? Slade-sama? I need to ask a favor." Kat told Slade what she needed and he said he would be right on it, on the condition that she returned. "Okay, I'll come back. Bye." She slid the phone close and turned to the Browns. "Your daughter…" she turned to look at Ashley, "She'll be all right."

"How do you know?" Mrs. Brown asked.

"I have my ways," Copycat smirked. "I need to get going. Tell Ashley I said bye." Kat turned and left the couple. She met up with her brother near the elevator

"That was a nice thing you did," Draco smiled.

Kat raised an eyebrow, "What are you talking about?"

Draco shrugged, "Oh nothing."

"Whatever."

As the twins were about to enter the elevator, a familiar ringing sound invaded their ears.

"What the?" Copycat looked around.

"A mirror breach! Let's go!" Draco ran ahead.

"Hey, wait for me!" Copycat yelled as she ran after him.

Kat and Ryuki ran towards the direction of the ringing. One of the nurses doing her rounds yelled out, "No running!" but neither twin heard her as they rushed towards the source of the ringing. It was then that Kat realized. It was close to Ashley's ward!

The twins stopped in front of a window and made sure no one was watching whilst they transformed in front of the reflective surface.

"ZODIAC FORCE OF THE DRAGON!" Draco's red and silver armor encased his body through a crimson energy field, the sleek red bodysuit underneath fit snugly under his armor. His green eyepieces flashed.

ZODIAC FORCE OF THE CAT!" Copycat's black and red body armor formed over her body, the cat helmet's faceplate shutting close and her red eyepieces flashed.

The two Zodiac Knights jumped into the window, and rode their Knightriders down the Mirror Portal towards their destination. Draco and Copycat looked at each other as they zoomed through the tunnel. They only had one worry: how many opponents would they be facing?

The Knightriders zoomed out and into the hospital within the Mirror Dimension. They exited their vehicles.

"Let's split up and look for them," Draco suggested. He activated the monster tracker on his SB-Watch.

"Right," Copycat agreed as she activated her own tracker on her SB-Watch.

The twins gave each other one last nod of respect and trust and separated to look for their targets.

* * *

Draco was in the kitchen and was looking around, holding his DRA-Blaster. He checked the tracking radar and found nothing. Either he was in the wrong place, or that the monsters were cloaked. He continued to look around one last bit, just to make sure, before stepping out of the kitchen

* * *

Copycat was in the surgery room and searched the place. Copycat's cell phone, revealed to be the CAT-Phone Blaster, was in her hand and ready to shoot down any opponent that dared to sneak up on her. She heard something suspicious and whirled around, blaster ready to shoot. She let out a sigh of relief. There was no one dare. She stepped out of the surgery room and gave it one last peek before leaving the area.

* * *

The twins met back up on the fifth floor. They had searched the hospital high and low and inside and out. So far…nothing.

"Find anything?" Draco asked, placing his blaster in its holster.

"Nothing," Copycat shook her head. Her phone was clipped to her belt. "False alarm?" she supplied.

Draco shrugged, "Could be. Let's go."

As they were about to step out of the Mirror Dimension, two black blurs suddenly rushed towards them and tackled them, sending them crashing out through the windows with a shatter and out of the hospital and down to the hard concrete ground.

The mysterious opponents then leapt off the Knights and ran away. Copycat and Draco helped each other out.

Copycat yelled, "What the HELL was THAT?"

"Our monsters!" Draco drew out his XL-Vent and slid it into his belt buckle, "XL-Vent: Excel Active!" His Excel Suit activated. Copycat followed his example and did the same as she drew her card and activated her Excel Suit.

"XL-Vent!" she slid the card into her belt buckle, "Excel Active!" Her black and scarlet Excel Suit formed.

The twins nodded to each other and gave chase, calling on their Knightriders and zooming after the monsters after getting into their individual vehicles.

* * *

The monsters that had attacked Copycat and Draco were known as Flash Cheetahs! They were cheetah humanoids in sleek armor and could reach the speed of light. They were zooming through the streets like Speed Demons, or bats out of Hell, whichever synonym was appropriate to describe them.

Copycat and Draco gave chase on their Knightriders. However, the vehicles were not as fast as the Flash Cheetahs. In fact, the Knightriders were snails compared to the two super fast monsters.

Suddenly, the Flash Cheetah made a sharp 180 turn and zoomed towards the Knightriders. As they ran in between the Knights, they created a sonic boom that knocked the two vehicles into the air and crashing into some buildings nearby.

Draco and Copycat fell out of their Knightriders and watched as the Flash Cheetahs made their escape.

"They're too fast," Draco analyzed, "I don't think Speed Vent will help."

Copycat agreed, "For once, you're right. They are fast." Suddenly, an idea occurred to Copycat. "But we're faster; how about that bike of yours?" Draco smiled under his faceplate. He knew what his sister was talking about. She spoke into her watch, "Jets activate."

"Jet Slinger, come here," Draco spoke into his watch.

* * *

The Flash Cheetahs continued to run around like crazy, throwing cars and vehicles into the air. However, these monsters reign of terror would soon end.

Several sidewinder missiles, 16 in all, zoomed through the air, locked on the two and blew up on impact, sending the Flash Cheetahs flying. Who had fired? Answer: Draco and his ZX-Jet Slinger.

"Kat! Do it now!" Draco spoke into his DRA-Phone to his sister. His sister, Kat A.K.A Zodiac Knight Copycat was in the air, flying with her CAT-Sky Attacker. She saw the Flash Cheetahs in the air and aimed all her ammo at the two. Her red eyepieces blinked and from her viewpoint showed readings and a targeting crosshair, before reading, "TARGETS LOCKED ON; FIRE AT WILL."

"Asta la vista, baby!" Copycat pressed the triggers and fired her missiles and lasers at the Flash Cheetahs, blowing the two monsters up and away. Copycat hovered down and Draco dismounted from the Jet Slinger.

"That was strangely easy," Draco commented.

"Well, with all this gear from Smart Brain, what else would you expect?" Copycat answered as she deactivated her jetpack, allowing it to shrink into its compact backpack form.

"Let's go home," Draco told her. Copycat was indignant.

"Don't boss me around! You ain't the boss of me!" she snapped.

"Kat…not now…"

Copycat snickered, "Sorry, force of habit."

As they were about to leave, there was sudden rumble in the ground. The rumble turned into a tremor. The tremors didn't stop and just kept getting stronger and louder. Either there was an earthquake or something was coming…something big. The twins shuddered.

"I don't like this," Draco said, looking around.

"Me neither bro," Copycat agreed as her head looked up and around.

The thing stepped out and revealed itself. It was a BIG MENOSE! (the same type of giant monster the Knights faced back in Vol 1, Part 039).

"Holy…" Draco began.

"…Shit!" Copycat finished.

The creature's hollow black eyes gazed upon the twins and it opened its mouth, creating a large black energy ball.

Copycat shouted, "DUCK AND COVER!"

"DON'T HAVE TO TELL ME TWICE!" Draco shouted back. The twins made a dash for it. Draco climbed onto his Jet Slinger, holding tight as the 5 jet engines came to life. Copycat reactivated her CAT-Sky Attacker. They either went zooming or flying away from the area, really fast, as the Big Menose sent an energy blast that decimated the area.

"How are we gonna beat that thing?" Copycat asked her brother who was piloting the Jet Slinger.

"Well," Draco began, "The last time it was with Pluto and Shadow. Me and Shadow used Over Soul and cut the thing in half!" Copycat looked over her shoulder and her eyes widened.

"Well, we better think of something now coz that thing is FOLLOWING US!" she screamed. It was true, the Big Menose was chasing after them. Each of its steps covered several meters and it was slowly gaining on the Jet Slinger and Sky Attacker.

"Well, hold on!" Draco shouted. He turned on the side thrusters and spun the vehicle around and it zoomed straight towards the Big Menose.

"ARE YOU INSANE?" Copycat screeched.

"TRUST ME!" he shouted back. He activated the photon cannon and charged it up.

"WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?"

"A CLOSER TARGET!"

The Jet Slinger and the Big Menose were already closing in on each other. Draco aimed the cannon and readied the shot.

"SAY SAYONARA!" Draco shouted as he fired a concentrated photon energy blast from the cannon and the blast went right THROUGH the monster's head. The Jet Slinger zoomed away as the thing exploded, sending pieces flying everywhere. Copycat whistled in appreciation.

"That's some fancy shooting, Tex," Copycat complimented, hovering next to him.

"Just the result of a lot of good practice," he revved up the engine, "NOW let's go home."

"Sounds good," Copycat sighed, "I need a catnap after this, badly."

As they were ready to leave, the pieces of the Big Menose began to come back to life, forming into Mini Menoses that hovered in the air. The twin Knights were anything but amused.

"Oh for crying out loud," Draco groaned.

"YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!" Copycat screamed.

The Mini Menoses began their attack and swarmed over and around the twins. Copycat smacked them away and her brother blasted them with fireballs. However, they still kept coming. Draco drew out his DRA-Blaster and Copycat armed her lasers.

"Ready…Aim…FIRE!" Copycat shot at the Mini Menoses with her lasers. Some were able to avoid from getting hit and the unlucky ones burst into flames.

Draco spoke into his DRA-Blaster, "Burst Mode." He aimed and fired concentrated energy bursts that fried several Mini Menoses at the same time. The Photon Cannon of his Jet Slinger needed to recharge so he had to rely on his blaster to do the job. The number of monsters was dwindling, but there were still too many as they swarmed the Dragon and Cat Knights. Draco then felt the same tingling sensation that reminded him of their time limit. He noticed the armor on his hands fizzling and vaporizing.

"Kat! Move now!" Draco shouted. "We're getting out of here!" he told her as he maneuvered the Jet Slinger to the closest Mirror Portal, "We'll deal with those things later!"

Kat gasped, "There's no way I'm running away from a fight!" Her armor was beginning to vaporize as well.

"Tough luck, oneechan! We're still getting out of here!" he shouted back as he zoomed out of the Mirror Dimension. Seeing that the odds were against her, Copycat reluctantly flew after her brother.

* * *

(Back in the real world…)

Copycat and Draco walked out of the hospital, out of their armors and exhausted as hell. Copycat groaned a she messaged her shoulder.

"That was tiring," Kat told her twin brother.

"I hear that," he agreed, still feeling a bit sore with piloting the Jet Slinger. "Coming back to the Tower?"

"Yeah I'm-" she then stopped in her tracks when she saw a big black car parked in the driveway. The window in the back pulled down and Kat's eyes widened when she saw the white haired man with the eye patch.

It was Slade-sama.

"I don't think so…" Kat shook her head.

"Why?" Draco blinked in confusion.

"I…" Kat began and then stopped when she saw a white/silver haired girl step out of the car. It was Rose. Kat's eyes widened and she turned rigid. "Rose…?"

"Huh?" Draco looked puzzled.

Copycat sighed and turned to face her brother, "I'm sorry, Ryuki…but I can't come back to the Tower."

"You can't? Why?" he sounded almost hurt.

"There's someone I need to go back to."

"Slade…?"

"Sort of," she felt almost guilty with having to do this to her brother. "Sayonara, Ryuki-kun. I'll send for my things, okay?"

"Sayonara, oneechan," Ryuki said sadly. "Just…follow your own path."

She hugged him, "I will." She let go and made her way towards the black car. She then went and hugged the white haired girl.

Rose started, "I'm sorry…" she began to cry, "For…for yelling at you. I know you were just trying to protect me."

Kat replied, "I'm sorry too, Rosey-chan," she sniffled, "I don't think you're weak…it's just that…I love you and I worry…so I just have to protect you…"

The two girls pulled away a little bit and then leaned into each other, kissing each other passionately. Rose opened the car door and Kat followed her in. The car drove off, leaving Ryuki alone in the parking lot.

* * *

Draco returned to Titans Tower, alone. When he entered the living room, he nearly had a heart attack when everyone yelled, "SURPRISE!" he saw that they had set everything up as a welcoming party for Copycat. However, the timing was all wrong…and it may never be right.

"Hey, where's your sister?" Beast Boy asked.

"She's…she's gone…" Draco answered as he went and sat down on a couch.

"What happened?" Jinx asked, concerned about her boyfriend.

"She went back to…" he didn't want to finish the sentence.

"Slade," Robin stated, finishing for Draco. It wasn't a question. Ryuki only nodded.

Terra said scornfully, "I knew she was up to no good."

"Terra," Draco said sternly, "I don't need this…not from you…not right now…"

"I'm sorry…" Jinx sat down next to him, sympathizing with his situation.

"I just thought that she…she's changed…" Draco said sadly.

"Maybe she did, kid," Pluto said, "I mean she did save a little girl."

"Maybe…maybe not…" Draco muttered.

"Please do not lose hope, friend," Starfire tried to cheer him up a bit, "I believe that, as long as you have faith, what you wish for will happen."

"Thanks Star…Thanks guys, for all you've done…" Draco smiled slightly. "So, are we having a party?"

"And waste all this food?" Cyborg shouted out.

"No way!" Beast Boy grinned widely.

Pluto howled, "Let's be having a fiesta!"

* * *

Meanwhile…Kat was in the study with Slade. Slade sat on his chair and had a grim frown on his face.

"It's almost time…isn't it?" Kat asked.

"It is…" Slade rubbed his right temple, "The End of the World…"

To Be Continued…

**Copycat's C.A.T (Chaos and Terror) Gear (SB-228)**

This set of gear was delivered to Copycat. Although the CAT-Gear lacks the functionality of the SNK-Gear and the DOG-Gear that doesn't make Copycat's CAT-Gear any less powerful.

**SB-958 XL-Vent Card:** This card activated the Excel Suit when slid into the belt buckle.

**SB-228B CAT-Tonfa: **A pair of scarlet tonfa blades that also act as the controls for the CAT-Sky Attacker. The tonfa blades can be pulled out and used as independent weapons. With the Psychorogue card in the buckle, the attack is called the 'Psycho Slice'.

**SB-228J CAT-Sky Attacker:** A jetpack equipped with state of the art weaponry. When deactivated, it remains in the form of a small backpack. The weapons are photon cannons, laser blasters, and missile launchers. The jetpack also allows her to execute some of her known attacks. In addition, the maximum speed of the Sky Attacker rivals that of the Jet Slinger. Equipping the Sky Attacker with the CAT-Phone increases the Sky Attacker's flight speed and weapons power to 10 folds. However, the energy increase only lasts for about 5 minute before the Sky Attacker deactivate and reverts to the backpack form. The Sky Attacker also reverts to the deactivated state once the CAT-Blades are pulled out.

**SB-983 SB-Watch: **The primary control unit that controls the input and output of the Excel Suit and CAT-Gear.

**SB-957 Excel Suit: **The design is similar to Draco's Excel Suit. It is black with scarlet excel streams

**SB-228P CAT-Phone Blaster:** Copycat's communications device. It can also change into a blaster mode. Unlike the other phones of the Knights, the CAT-Phone can be connected to the CAT-Jets to add more power. In addition, it can be connected to Copycat's boot to execute the 'Scarlet Strike' kick. With the Techno Panther card in the buckle, the attack can become the 'Slash Kick'.


	84. PT084: Off To Gaijo

Part 84: Off to Gaijo

At Titans Tower, each of the Titans came home after saving the city yet again. As they now walked into the living area, Beast Boy planted himself on the sofa and said, "Man my legs hurt."

Next to him Draco sat who added in his comment, "Consider yourself lucky. I can't even feel mine."

"Poor baby…" Jinx cooed. "I'll give you a foot message."

"Thanks Jinx," Draco smiled.

"After you give me one," she added, grinning. He frowned.

"I knew there was a catch."

"And a back rub."

The others sat near them or somewhere in the room. They didn't feel like dragging themselves over to their rooms because of being so exhausted. Shadow situated himself on the couch that both Draco and Beast Boy were occupying.

"Well compared to today's villain, that was a walk in the park compared to Bushydo or Molock for that matter," Shadow said, rubbing his shoulders. They survived their trials and tribulations in Tokyo only by both quick thinking and pure luck. The fight between Molock and the Titans nearly had gotten them killed if it wasn't for Raven's quick thinking and the aid of their new ally, Ekelo, and the one with Bushydo was no picnic either

Cyborg hearing this decided to reply, "I'm glad I didn't go then. Those guys sounded like living nightmares the way you guys told us about them." In his mind, even fighting the Deathtrons was a walk in the park compared to facing the forces of Hell themselves as Shadow had told them.

"You have no idea Victor…" Shadow hissed as he tried to move his sore body. He only knew that they survived the fight with Molock thanks to their allies and also had help against Bushydo.

Just then Beast Boy nodded before saying, "And who knew Raven had a boyfriend before meeting us." He was referring to Ekelo.

Raven didn't even bother to glare at Beast Boy as she just asked, "Who told him?"

Not having enough energy to deny any accusations Pluto spoke, "That would be me."

"When I get my energy back, I'm going to wring your neck," she threatened.

Robin strangely enough, not thinking clearly, decided to say something that he had always wanted, "We need a vacation."

"Did I just hear Robin say what I think he said?" Terra asked, puzzled, cleaning out her ears. "Or was I just imagining it?"

"Maybe the exhaustion from the mission is starting to get to us," Draco told her.

"I can't believe I just said that either…" Robin said.

"I think I can help with that," said Blackfire as she was currently lying on an extra sofa in the living area.

"What are you talking about?" asked Cyborg, wondering what she meant by that statement.

"Do you know something, Black?' Terra asked.

They could go on a vacation, but then again there was always the chance they might be attacked by one of the Knights or Titans' enemies like Team Tartarus or even Slade.

"I'm too tired for the moment. I'll tell you all later," she said.

* * *

After about one hour of rest, the Titans were ready to hear what Blackfire had to say. She explained how Acro had given them an invitation to visit Gaijo that extended to all of them. They would be able to go there and not at all be bothered by trying to stop a villain. 

Starfire beamed at the thought of this and said, "Oh my, it shall be most glorious to finally be able to visit Gaijo! I have heard so much of the beauty of the planet Gaijo and wondrous amounts of food! I have even heard that many races from all over the universe have come to live or visit Gaijo!"

Beast Boy decided to speak, "So let me get this straight, we go to the planet, don't have to worry about stopping villains, mirror monsters, and we get to relax and do anything we want?"

"That's about the size of it," Blackfire then added, "And they have the greatest parties there that make this planet look like a sleeper."

Cyborg, Pluto and Beast Boy looked at each other for a moment before they shared high fives each and said together, "Alright!"

They then got up and started to dance while singing, "We're going on vacation! We're going on vacation!"

Then as if on cue Robin responded, "We're not going."

At that point everyone looked at him before Draco blew up yelling, "Not going? Are you out of your mind? Didn't you just suggest that an hour ago? Don't we deserve a vacation?"

"What about that trip to Tokyo?" Robin asked.

"Are you kidding?" said Pluto as he continued, "Between fighting Molock's minions, the guy himself, Bushydo, not to mention the other Knights that tried to kill us, it was more like spending time here than a vacation."

"Who's going to watch the city?" was Robin's first question to get the subject to be dropped.

"That does pose a dilemma," Shadow nodded. "However, I think we can find some people to take our place, temporarily."

"Well we do have Hot Spot, Wildebeast, Thunder and Lightning. Why don't we have them watch the place?" said Cyborg remembering the two heroes they met during their time participating for the Master of Games Tournament as well as the two brothers they had to make see the error of their 'fun' as they had called it.

"What about training?" Robin asked.

That was another issue with Robin; they were constantly training to make sure they weren't caught off guard.

Cyborg groaned and said, "How are we going to train if we're too wiped to do it in the first place? Besides, you can learn a few new martial arts from the planet we're going to."

That seemed to have gotten Robin's attention. He did always want to try and learn new styles of combat. And since this planet they were going to had the most battle ready army in the universe he could definitely learn something from a Lt. there or even Acro.

But Robin was still bent against going there. It was something he wouldn't do, especially if Slade resurfaced like he was expecting him to.

Just then Starfire came into view and began to do that puppy dog pout that Kim Possible had taught her. She even went so far as to do a little dog begging sound, whimpering. '_Curse her! I wish she never taught Starfire how to do that!'_

The Titans were waiting for their leader to give in until, "Alright! We can go."

The others jumped with excitement at the chance to finally go on a real vacation. Draco took Jinx into his arms and twirled her around, laughing merrily.

* * *

About one week later, Blackfire was at the Titans console trying to get a hold of Acro. It wasn't easy since Gaijo was at least a few billion light-years away in communication distance. But with some help from Pluto, Cyborg, and Fixit upgrading the system, they were able to make contact. 

It was at that point the screen came up and a man who was obviously a Gaijoan was sitting at a desk staring back at Blackfire, "Hello there. This is Senator Acro's secretary, how may I help you?"

He seemed to be a man barely out of his twenties with curly blond hair and very attractive facial features.

"My name is Blackfire and I would like-" said Blackfire before she was cut off by the Secretary.

"Ah yes. Acro told me that you would call. He said for me to patch you through to his office if you ever did. One moment please."

Just then the screen changed from his face to that of a blue screen that had the words, 'Connecting your call'.

"Wow, that sure was easy," said Robin amazed that the diplomats on Gaijo seem to be more polite than the crooked ones on Earth.

He was afraid that the politicians on Gaijo would be very much like the ones on Earth who tried as hard as they could to cut off money from as many people as they could. But these ones seemed to be different, '_But then again I'm sure not all of them are like Acro.'_

Immediately the screen changed from the words, 'connecting your call,' to that of what looked like a man in his late fifties with long white hair tied into a high pony tail and kind crystal blue eyes as well as a kind face.

"Why, hello Blackfire, I see you have made some peace with your sister," said the Gaijoan only known as Acro as he noticed that Starfire was in the background.

Blackfire nodded with a smile and said, "Yes I have. I was wondering if you could send a shuttle to take us to Gaijo to visit your planet. We do a need a vacation."

Acro let out a hearty chuckle that was warm and welcoming. There were always two sides of Acro. One was that of a kind man that could treat you like his own flesh and blood. Then there was the hard and serious man that won't take too lightly to the threatening or harming of other innocents.

The others that were at Tokyo had seen both sides of Acro, the seriousness during the battle from when he saved their lives from Bushydo and the kind old grandfather type afterwards.

After he was done laughing he said, "Yes, certainly. When would you like me to send you a shuttle?"

Blackfire looked at the others and said, "Would right now be a good time?"

Acro gave a thoughtful look as he said, "Let me check for a moment."

His face turned to the side as he looked to be raising his hand and touching something which was probably a computer screen before replying, "Ah, yes. As a matter of fact there is a transport shuttle that goes from both Tamaran and Thanagar to Gaijo. The shuttle is the closest one to the planet. I'll have it take a detour to your tower and it should land on the roof in about two hours. You should arrive here in about… three to four days."

Just then Robin came into view as he asked an important question, "Will we have to pay?"

He just received another warm laugh but this one was more of amusement. After Acro was done he said, "Why of course not. You are going to be my guests and anything you buy on my planet will be paid for by me. I'll also see that you have a tour of the planet as well as the city."

Robin smiled a bit before asking another question that came to mind, "We won't have to help anyone in case of an attack will we?"

"Why of course not, and the probability of an attack is most unlikely at best. We have allies with almost the entire known universe. We're even considering trading with your planet in the next year or so; now then anything else?"

Robin thought about it and thought over once again and said, "Nope, nothing else."

Acro smiled before saying, "Good then. I'll order the transport shuttle to come to your coordinates. It'll arrive at exactly two hours. I do indeed look forward to seeing all of you. You are all really spoken highly of by your friends."

With that said the screen went blank and Robin smiled. Out of all of the politicians Robin had either met or heard of, Acro seemed to be the only one he liked; because to him, the governors, senators and even presidents of different countries were no different than the criminals that they fought everyday but on a whole other level. He then turned to meet eyes with the four that would protect the city while they were gone. He decided it would be best to put someone in charge and he had the perfect candidate.

Robin walked up to Thunder and said, "Thunder, you're in charge while we're gone."

Lightning decided it was that time to argue, "What? Why is he the one in charge? Why not me?"

Robin was about to answer before Thunder beat him to it, "Because, brother, I am the most level headed of the group and the wisest. I mean no offense when I speak this but you are… a loose cannon." Thunder had to pause to find the right term without hurting his brother's feelings and pride. Lightning sulked as he realized Thunder was right. He was much too quick to get angry and was also impatient, which must be why his brother was here. Thunder acted as a counter balance. This must have been why Fuji had two sons with a mortal woman rather than one; to create balance.

* * *

Nearly two hours passed and the Titans were on the rooftop as well as their temporary replacements. They were being filled in by the Titans about the things that needed to be done. Starfire would have taken Silkie with her but Hot Spot said he had experience with mutant pets before which convinced her to leave him here. Shadow had also asked him to take care of his own pets while he was gone. Hot Spot nodded. For some reason, Hot Spot reminded Shadow of Draco in terms that they had similar powers and attitudes as Hot Spot has been known to have a very hot temper. 

They had their luggage with them as well as making sure that they would pack their clothes, even though the girls, with the exception of Raven, planned on getting new clothes from the planet they were going to. Ever since Blackfire had told them that their fashion clothes came from all points of the universe as well as their own planet, they were going to go on a shopping spree since they wouldn't have to pay for anything.

After the Titans had finished giving the others the information they needed, Shadow looked at his SB-Watch before saying, "Looks like they are five minutes late." No sooner had Shadow said that, a large transport shuttle came out of the air as it descended onto the roof of the Tower. It was a silver color as it reflected the suns light and very large but only looked like it could fit a small group of people.

"Don't be fooled by the looks of the outside of the shuttle guys," said Blackfire as she picked up her luggage and said, "I've been on a Gaijoan transport shuttle before and its much larger on the inside than it seems on the outside."

"Is that so?" Pluto asked skeptically but also curiously. This was something he had to see to believe.

At that point a gangplank came down the side of the shuttle and several men came out that looked to be all Gaijoans. They picked up the Titans' luggage and hauled it inside the shuttle as a man in what looked to be in a pilot uniform walked towards them. The uniform looked to be the same as the ones from earth in the design but the colors were different. Where there was the traditional color of a public transport pilot it was replaced with colors such as gold, silver and black.

The man looked to be in his thirties and seemed to be very pleasant as he spoke, "Hello there. My name Jagrin Majk and I will be your pilot. If you will follow me please, I can get you situated with the others."

The Titans followed Jagrin into the shuttle. As they came into it they went through a door and were amazed at the size of it. It seemed to be much larger than what the outside interior gave off.

"This is impossible," said Cyborg as he was still trying to find out how the shuttles interior was so huge while the exterior wasn't as big.

The pilot just chuckled at his passengers' clueless expression and decided to explain, "We have a Dimensional Generator which allows the interior to become far larger than what it should be."

Pluto had a very thoughtful and surprised look on his face. He had no idea how to make such a thing and this was only the beginning of the technology he would be seeing on Gaijo, "Amazing. That could really come in handy at the Tower."

"I doubt that. Even if you are his friends, Senator Acro won't let you have any Dimensional Generators. They are solely for the Gaijoan International Transportation Space Crafts and of its military. I doubt you would understand how to make one anyways." Actually, Acro had been informed about Pluto's 'skills' with machinery and thought it would be safer to NOT give the Dog Knight access to any Gaijoan technology, at all, ever.

And just then he began to lead them down the very large hallway. It was adorned with silver colored metals for the walls and the floor has a red carpet that could easily go in a palace hallway. As they walked, they came to a large silver colored metal door carved with numerous exotic pictures and symbols.

The door slid open and they walk into what looked like a giant living room. There were multiple species in the room all of which were chatting peacefully while others occasionally laughed. They even saw a few Tamaraneans and Thanagareans as well.

To the left were several couches and chairs while to the right there was a table with a lot of food as well as a strange computer. In the center of the wall was what looked like the biggest television screen the Titans had ever seen. Even a movie screen couldn't match its sheer size. On both sides of it were two stairways going to two different doors.

"The girls dormitories are to the left and the boys are to the right. If you need to use the bathroom I'm sure you can ask one of the guests where it is. That computer over there is the Food Materializer or FM for short. Just tell it what kind of food you want and from what planet and/or region. I suggest you be specific or you might get something nasty. They still haven't worked all of the bugs out of that yet."

Just as soon as he finished, Beast Boy, Cyborg and Draco ran over to the FM pushing and shoving each other out of the way while trying to yell out their orders out to the machine. Terra and Jinx sweatdropped at their boyfriends' behavior and groaned, shaking their heads.

Jagrin just shook his head all the while with an amused look on his face. He turned to the others as he said, "I have to go take us to Gaijo. If you have any questions about the shuttle or the planet you should ask those two."

Jagrin pointed to two people sitting on a couch who were apparently cuddling on what looked like a love seat. One was a female Tamaranean while other was a male Thanagarean.

"Those two have visited Gaijo more than once and know the planet as best as those that had lived there."

After saying so he left the room to take control of the shuttle.

Outside the interior of the spacecraft were Thunder, Lightning, Hot Spot and Wildebeast. They saw the faces of the Titans looking out of the windows waving them good bye as the shuttle lifted up off of the ground.

The four waved their friends goodbye as the shuttle turned and tilted at a fifteen degree angle. Afterwards it shot through the atmosphere, out of Earths orbit, past Jupiter and out of the Milky Way in a matter of thirty seconds.

"Maybe we should've asked Kim and Ron to come along," Blackfire mentioned. "They don't know what they're missing!" She liked Kim. They both had the same passion for fashion and shopping.

"Maybe next time. Wow…" Pluto was amazed as he looked out the window. It was unbelievable. Gaijoan technology was incredible and he couldn't wait to see what other technological marvels the planet had to offer.

Shadow was more interested in the intellectual aspects of the Gaijoan culture, as was Raven. The last few weeks since their return from Tokyo, the two half breeds had become much more closer, if that was even possible for them. Raven sighed as she leaned her head on his shoulder. A break, a real vacation, no missions, no crazy super villains, no plots to stop involving world domination, and no interruptions. What could possibly be any better?

Cyborg, Beast Boy and Draco had gotten the food they wanted, with as little blood shed as possible, and were chowing down at a nearby table. Jinx had gotten herself a light snack compared to the three male Titans and sat next to Draco.

Terra was a little edgy. Being away from Earth was really getting to her. It was most probably her link to the earth and since there wasn't even a speck of dirt on the vessel they were on, she felt a little out of her element.

"Is something wrong?" asked a kind voice behind her. Terra turned and met face to face with the Tamaranean onboard. She had beautiful red hair and green eyes and looked like an older version of Star except that she wore a sleeveless purple bodysuit and her hair was in big waves that reached her ankles.

"Just a little space sick," Terra said jokingly.

"I know what you mean. At first I was afraid to ever leave Tamaran since I didn't know much of the other worlds beyond. However, my husband, Mgomin, showed me the stars and I am grateful for that."

"What's your name? Mine's Terra."

"Koterr'or," the Tamaranean woman answered.

Robin had been listening to Starfire talk of all the wonders they would most probably see on Gaijo. She was really excited as this was her first trip to the planet. She would've gone and flew to Gaijo on her own, but the planet was several billions light years away and she would most probably get lost, according to Blackfire.

* * *

Three days had passed since the Titans boarded the Gaijoan space shuttle and, so far from what they were going through, they were hoping that they would never have to leave. Even though they haven't gotten to the planet, they met many Gaijoans as well as a few Tamaraneans and Thanagareans, all of which were very friendly and peaceful. 

Pluto had a talk with a Tamaranean scientist that was going to Gaijo, on vacation, about the technology he would see. So far he was astounded about how much more advanced they were compared to Earth, in technological terms, among other things as well. Pluto had summarized that compared to Gaijo; Earth's technology would seem like the stone wheel compared to theirs.

Shadow had learnt a few things from a Gaijoan philosopher about some of the planet's history and culture. He had been intrigued when the half breed had found out that the planet did not only consist of different races but also of different beliefs and cultures as well. Raven was listening intently as well when the philosopher brought up some of the ancient legends and myths that surrounded the planet.

They were a bit bummed out that they had to sleep in separate rooms, but these rules were places for a certain reason. It was probably because of privacy or many other reasons but they didn't seem to take interest in learning the reasons either.

Of course, this did not mean that some of the boys, or girls, were not willing to sneak into their significance others' rooms for a little _privacy_.

Of course, when the philosopher was going to explain the most ancient legend of the planet, they had landed and were now exiting the shuttle.

They had arrived at a station with many guards as well as people different species, all of which were going through a security checkpoint.

The guards all wore pure white armor and had a weapon in their hands that looked to be rather deadly. It was apparent that they enforced the law on the planet very strictly, either that, or they were vigilant of any terrorist activity.

The Titans were going to go through the procedure before a Gaijoan came forward. The station guards saw him and they seemed to tense up as they stopped their duties and saluted towards the man.

He looked to be of very important status as he wore some type of regal uniform.

He looked at the Titans before asking, "Which one of you is Blackfire?"

Blackfire stepped forward wondering who this man was, "That would be me."

The man nodded and looked at the guards before addressing one of them, "Captain, these are Senator Acro's guests, why are they being searched?"

Shadow of course looked around, a trace of recognition on his face. He felt slightly uncomfortable when the guards began to search them. However, the feeling of discomfort was soon replaced by confusion as he felt…a tiny bit of déjà vu wash over him. This did not go unnoticed by the beautiful empath that was by his side.

"Something wrong, Ichijyo?" Raven asked.

Shadow turned to her, "I don't know…I just have the strangest feeling that I've, this must sound silly, been here before…"

"Déjà vu?" she questioned, "Maybe it's your father's memories. You say you have them, remember? Maybe he came here once before?"

"Yes, that has to be it," the Vampangel laughed slightly. However, he still couldn't shake off the strange feeling.

Starfire was looking around curiously, but her eyes narrowed as she scrutinized everything she saw. This did not go unnoticed by Robin.

"Something wrong, Star?" he asked.

"Oh, Robin," she smiled. She answered, "This must sound silly, but I have the most peculiar feeling that I have been to Gaijo before."

To Be Continued…

Doors are opening for the Titans as another adventure awaits them. BTW, kudos to Dr. Evans for writing this chap and for making up Gaijo.


	85. PT085: Secrets, Lies and Conspiracies

Part 85: Secrets, Lies and Conspiracies

The man who was talking to the Captain of the guards was probably a high ranking Gaijoan official. He introduced himself, "I am Major Zecro of the Gaijoan military and your liaison here on your visit to Gaijo. I welcome you all on behalf of Senator Acro." He then eyed Ichijyo, who met his stare with his own cold glance. After that Zecro continued, "Your luggage will be taken to our best Gaijoan Hotel, but one of you must first come with me to see Senator Acro." He then finished, looking at Shadow, "Commander."

The Titans, except Shadow, froze when Zecro had said that. Shadow stepped forward and saluted, introducing himself and stating his rank and affiliation, "Commander Ichijyo Desmond Amakusa-Akuma, codename: Shadowcobra, of the Deathtron Secret Police."

The other Titans were shell shocked. Beast Boy was the first to speak up. "You're a cop?" he squawked.

"You're a Deathtron?" Robin added with eyes narrowed. How long had Shadow been keeping this from them?

Shadow's eyes looked at the Titans' expressions of shock. He eyes fell on Raven and Starfire. Starfire looked upset and so did Raven. He sighed and then went with Zecro. Several guards escorted them as they went to see Acro. The two of them entered a hover car and drove off to see Acro. Shadow's eyes watched the Titans as they were taken to the Gaijoan Hotel. He gave off a silent apology.

"Something the matter?" Zecro asked.

"The Titans," Shadow answered, "They are probably upset with me."

"You were on an assignment, were you not? You were undercover as well."

"Still, I should've told them."

"They will get over it, Commander."

"I hope so," Shadow then asked, "Why does Senator Acro wish to see me?"

"It's confidential," Zecro answered uneasily. This must be serious since Acro personally asked Shadow to see him. Was it involving the Deathtrons and if it did, what was going to happen? Shadow was going to get the answers from Acro.

* * *

As special guests of the Senator, the Titans lodgings would be in the best hotel on Gaijo in the capital city. They would be staying in the best suites in the house, so to speak. One suite was for the boys and another one for the girls. Their luggage had been taken up, but the Titans weren't unpacking just yet; they were still in disbelief.

* * *

(The Girls' Suite)

"I do not believe it," Starfire said slowly.

"Believe it sis," Blackfire said to her, "Shadow lied to us; he's a Deathtron." Blackfire hated the Deathtrons with a passion as she had read the history archives on Tamaran and grew to hate all those bearing the mark of the Deathtrons.

"But, he did say that all Deathtrons were not evil," Starfire said.

"Probably another Deathtron lie," Blackfire scoffed. "What do you think Raven?"

Raven was silent. How could Shadow lie to her? How could he have kept this a secret, from them…from her?

"Raven?" Blackfire called, "RAVEN!" Raven was shocked out of her trance and stared at the black haired alien girl.

"What?"

"You agree with me, don't you?"

"Yeah…I guess…" Raven was still a little unsure.

"Boy what a day, huh?" Terra laid down on one of the soft beds. "We came for a vacation and find out one of our friends is an undercover cop from a supposed evil organization."

Jinx sat on a chair nearby, "You got that right, Terra. Wonder what Acro wanted to see Shadow about though?

* * *

(The Boys' Suite)

"Shocking ain't it?" Pluto said to the others, "I mean Shadow's a Deathtron cop. Who would've known?"

"Still feels unbelievable," Beast Boy lay on his stomach upon one of the beds, "When you think you know a guy, huh Robin?"

Robin was deep on thought. He was thinking about Shadow and the secret he kept from them. "Why would Shadow never tell us about this?"

"Maybe he had his reasons, guys," Draco defended. "He was going undercover and he needed to remain undercover."

"But he said he wasn't a Deathtron," Robin reminded. "So he lied to us."

"He was going undercover," Draco repeated, "So he had to lie to keep it a secret."

"But, did he have to keep it from us?" Cyborg questioned. None of them had an answer to that.

* * *

(Senator's Office)

Shadow was led towards a large door. It was the door to Acro's office. Zecro said to him, "Senator Acro would see you know." Shadow thanked him and the doors swung open. There was Acro, sitting at his desks in the same clothes he wore when saving them from Acro. There was also someone else there sitting on a chair in front of Acro, someone that Shadow hoped he would never seen again. The other person was muscular and clad in black and silver. Shadow hissed.

"Val Yor…"

Acro looked up and smiled at the Deathtron Secret Police Commander while Val Yor just scowled. He ignored the Vernathian's scowl and stepped in, stopping only in front of Acro's desk, saluting, "Commander Shadowcobra of the Deathtron Secret Police, present and at your service, Senator Acro, sir."

Acro stood up and extended his hand. Shadow took it and shook hands with the Gaijoan senator. Acro greeted, "There's no need for such formalities, Ichijyo. You and your friends have been welcomed as guests." Shadow shook his head.

"No, it is in my protocol to present myself in a polite and formal manner to a being such as yourself, Senator Acro." They let go of each other's hands and Acro asked him to sit.

"Sit down, Ichijyo," he continued, "You do know Captain Val Yor, don't you?"

Shadow and Val Yor glared at one another. Acro could see the feeling of loathing radiating from one another. Shadow hissed and Val Yor growled. "Unfortunately…" they both said.

Val Yor then stood up and slammed his palm upon the desk, "Senator, why do we need him? He is nothing but a filthy Deathtron!"

"As oppose to a filthy intolerant bigot," Shadow remarked.

Acro looked at the two of them sternly, "Let me remind you two that the both of you are my guests here and you should behave as my guests, meaning you must both respect one another, despite your…past encounter." The two of them glared daggers at one another as Acro continued, "I have an urgent matter to discuss with the both of you and this must not leave this room, you understand?"

Shadow nodded, "Yes."

Val Yor nodded, "Affirmative."

"Good," Acro put on a serious expression. "Several years ago, our Gaijoan scientific archeological and excavation team had discovered something under the ground…it looked like an ancient weapon made by…" Acro paused for dramatic effect, "The Deathtrons." Shadow's eyes widened. This would explain why Acro needed to see him. "It looked like it had crashed on the planet millions of years ago, probably during the Great Galactic War of Orion." Shadow knew his history well. Over several eons, the Deathtron and Sabretrons had been at war with each other, only agreeing to peace less than three decades ago. "It is imperative that I have the two of you help me with this."

Val Yor asked abruptly, "What do you wish me to do?" Shadow examined Val Yor's mannerism; he looked eager…too eager.

Acro said, "I want the both of you to make sure that this weapon doesn't fall into enemy hands." He elaborated, "There is suspicion that some Desthtron criminals have entered Gaijo and we suspect that they came intending to steal and reactivate this terrible weapon."

Val Yor laughed, "Reactivate it? You're joking! If that weapon has been underground for millions of years, I doubt that it still functions."

"Don't be too sure Val Yor," Shadow disagreed. "Deathtron technology is quite durable and, even after millions of years, may still function. It's probably a dormant weapon now since it doesn't have a power source anymore." Val Yor scowled as Shadow smirked smugly.

"Regardless, I don't think that any criminal, Deathtron…" Val Yor eyed Shadow with distrust, "…Or otherwise would attempt to steal a…relic or an antique like that."

"Don't be too sure, Val Yor," Shadow contradicted, "Deathtrons, if they are anything, they are persistent and don't give up so easily. Deathtrons are also very patient, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. It's a tactic often used by Deathtrons to put their enemies in a false sense of security before striking for the kill."

Acro agreed, "Ichijyo is correct, Val Yor. You best listen to him. He knows the Deathtron criminal mind very well." Val Yor just glared at Shadow while Shadow smirked. "Gentleman, I do hope you both remember not to let what has been spoken in this room out of you mouths. What had been discussed in this room should remain in this room, understand?" Shadow and Val Yor nodded. "Good, you are dismissed. Enjoy the rest of your stay here in my planet." Val Yor and Shadow stood up, saluted the Senator who stood up and saluted them back. After Val Yor and Shadow stepped out the door, things got a little tense.

"Okay, you filthy Deathtron scum," Val Yor spat, "I don't know and I don't care how you got invited here, but marks my words," he leaned closer, "If you do anything to interfere with my mission, guest or not, I will personally blast you off this planet."

Shadow stood up and leered at Val Yor, "And you should remember that I don't react well to threats. This is as much my mission as it is yours, since I'm representing the entire Deathtron Secret Police force." Shadow hissed, "Also, I hope you are at your best behavior, especially to Starfire."

Val Yor smirked, "That Troq? Why should-" before Val Yor could finish, he was pinned to the wall by a large shadow hand that the Knight of Invisibility had summoned.

"Do not call her that you intolerant racist!" Shadow hissed hatefully. "Just remember to stay away from the Titans, especially her!"

Val Yor, despite his position, grinned, "Me stay away from them? Hah! I bet your friends will not look at you the same way after they found out about your allegiance to an organization of monsters and murderers." Shadow blanched. He hated to believe it, but deep down, he knew Val Yor was right. He let go of the Vernathian and phased through the floor. He needed to clear things up with the Titans before misunderstandings and an argument occurred.

* * *

( Capital City of Gaijo, later that night)

It was late at night before Shadow headed towards the hotel and sighed dejectedly. He was walking around the city, thinking and fearing of how the Titans would react; now knowing fully of his affiliations with the Deathtrons. How would he explain this to them? And, even if he could explain, would they forgive him after he had lied and kept this a secret. He laughed to himself, bitterly. '_If the Titans are mad at me now for being an undercover cop, how would they react if they find out I was a thief?' _He was referring to his third identity as Red-X. He had never told the Titans and frankly there was no reason for him to do so…or was there. Could he bear to lie and keep so many secrets from them? The Titans were his friends and Raven was now more than a friend…also, how would Starfire and Blackfire react? How would all of them react? These questions played around in his head, confusing the hell out of him. He shook his head. He had to calm down so he could answer them clearly when they asked him the questions.

As he approached the door, he knew something was wrong straight away. Stepping forward, the doors slid aside allowing him entry. The Snake Knight's eyes widened at the scene before him. The entire hotel staff, or at least the ones that were in the lobby, were lying on the ground. Fearing the worst, Shadow went over to one of the unconscious staff, a woman, and placed a finger on her neck. He sighed, relieved. There was still a pulse and he suspected that it was the same as the others. He sniffed the air and he realized what had happened.

_'Sleeping gas!'_ He pulled up the collar of his cloak to cover his nose and closed his eyes, scanning the entire building with his psychic powers. So far everyone, including the Titans, was unconscious. When he scanned further…he sensed that there were at least two people still conscious…and they weren't friendly. The two conscious ones were headed for the roof. Shadow, in a wave of shadows, teleported to the roof, with every intention to investigate what the hell was going on.

* * *

Two male figures, one tall and thin and another one large with broad shoulders, were going up the stairs, headed for the roof. The two of them were disguised in Gaijoan janitorial clothing. The large one had someone thrown over his shoulder, a girl dressed in purple with orange skin and long red hair. It was Starfire! The thin one was running up the stairs while his companion was struggling to catch up.

"Come on Sinker!" the thin one shouted to his companion, "The Captain will be coming to pick us up with our booty!"

"Argh, shut up Line!" The large one, now identified as Sinker, growled angrily. "You try carrying this Tamaranean girl!"

Line, the thin one just glowered at his partner before he opened the door that was headed for the roof. They weren't expecting anyone else up there, but they should have.

"Leaving so soon gentlemen?" Shadow greeted in a cynical tone. When he saw Sinker lug in after Line, his eyes widened. Sinker had Starfire thrown over his shoulder and she was unconscious, "STARFIRE!" he hissed, "You two, let her go!"

Line retorted, "Forget it!" he paused, "You know, it's quite unlucky for you to see us. It would've been better for you to be sleeping with everyone else in this hotel." Line turned to his partner, Sinker, "Sinker, give me the girl and take care of this interloper."

Sinker handed Starfire to Line, whose hands turned into a pair of whip-like tendrils that wrapped around the girl. Sinker then tore off his disguise, revealing his real form.

Sinker was quite large, with large hands and feet with broad shoulders. His armor was black with a little blue on his chest, upper legs and upper arms. His shoulder pads had sharp spikes on them and so did his knuckles. His feet had three toed claws on them and his head was concealed under a blockish looking helmet. His eyes were red. What caught Shadow's attention was the Deathtron symbol on Sinker's chest, which also held crossbones, like a pirate symbol. Sinker roared and, despite his size, ran quite quickly to tackle Shadow to submission.

Shadow, suspecting that Sinker must be less intelligent than Line, just turned intangible, causing Sinker to pass right through him and fall off the edge and down to the ground below, screaming. Shadow smirked and turned to face Line, who now had Starfire in his tendrils and over his head. Line had also discarded his disguise. He was thin with spindly legs. He was in red and yellow armor with a cone shaped helmet and narrow red eyes. The same Deathtron symbol was on Line's head. Line chuckled, "You outsmarted my partner, but I'm much more intelligent than he'll ever be." Line was leaning over the edge, "Let me pass or I'll drop the girl. As you know, it's a long way down."

Shadow stood in his place, analyzing the situation. Line had Starfire in his hands…tendrils and, judging by how much Shadow knew about Deathtronian psychology, he knew that Line would not hesitate to use Starfire as a bargaining chip. Shadow relaxed his shoulders and when Line noticed this, he knew he had won.

At least, that was what he thought.

As Line passed by Shadow, the Snake Knight reacted quickly and grabbed Line in a chokehold. Line was not anticipating this.

"Let Starfire go now!" Shadow demanded. Line smirked under his helmet.

"You want her so much? Take her!" Line then threw Starfire off the edge. Shadow's eyes widened.

"STARFIRE!" he released Line and jumped off the edge to rescue Starfire. Line then made a quick escape.

The hotel was taller than Titans Tower, over 50 stories high. That meant that it was a long way down. As Shadow flew after the falling Starfire, images…memories flashed in his mind. He saw himself as a child, not older than 6 and a little girl the same age, dressed in purple and had short red hair…the little girl looked exactly like…

…Like Starfire.

Shaking his head, he flew faster after the falling girl. If Starfire hit the ground, despite her durability as a Tamaranean, the force of the impact would kill her. At the last second, Shadow's arms snaked around the girl's narrow waist before making a vertical U-turn back up to the hotel roof.

Starfire stirred awake and realized that she was in someone's arms. She expected it to be Robin, but then gasped as she realized she was looking at Shadow. All of a sudden, like Shadow moments ago, the same images flashed in her mind. When the two of them were back on the roof, he let go of her and blushed. She blushed as well. He took a step back from her, but she approached him instead. He looked at her, confused and then his eyes went over the Gaijoan city. Now he realized why this place was so familiar and from the looks of it, so did Starfire.

"Koriand'r?" Shadow spoke, calling Starfire by her given name and feeling confused.

"Ichijyo?" Starfire called him by his given name, also confused.

They then at the same time said the same thing:

"I remember…"

To Be Continued…

ZK Chromedragozoid: What did they suddenly remember? Who were Line and Sinker? What did the two Deathtrons want? What was the weapon that Acro told Shadow and Val Yor about? These questions and more will be answered for you soon, just keep on reading and reviewing.


	86. PT086: Memories of Lost

Part 86: Memories of Lost

The next morning, the Titans had been brought back to consciousness since the sleeping gas had worn off. Shadow had informed Acro of what had happened and he sent out several teams of Gaijoan guards to go after the Deathtron Pirates that Shadow had described. Yes, Line and Sinker had been pirates judging by the crossbones drawn on their Deathtron symbols. Of course, Starfire had nearly gotten kidnapped, question is: Why?

Another question is: Would the Titans still trust him now?

Anyway, Shadow was now surrounded by the entire team of Titans since he was the focus of attention. This wasn't an interrogation per se, but the tension was so thick that you could cut it with a knife. Shadow prepared for the inevitable.

"Why didn't you tell us you were with the Deathtrons?" Robin asked in a demanding tone.

Shadow met his leader's masked eyes with his own and answered, "I was assigned on Earth to act as an undercover representative of the Deathtron Secret Police. Therefore, I had to keep it a secret, even if it did mean lying to you all."

Pluto asked next, "So, how did you become Commander? Was it because of you dad?" Shadow had told them that his father was a high ranking Deathtron official. He even told Starfire a bit about his father as well.

Shadow answered, "Yes and no." He elaborated, "My father helped me to enroll into the Deathtron Police Academy when I was 8 years old, but I became Commander on my own efforts."

"How old are you really?" Beast Boy asked suspiciously. "I mean, you have to older than you look, right?"

Shadow rolled his eyes and answered, sarcastically, "I am 118 years old."

"REALLY?" both Draco and Beast Boy exclaimed before Jinx and Terra slapped themselves in the foreheads because of their boyfriends' stupidity.

"He was being sarcastic," Raven told them, realizing that Shadow was only being cynical.

Shadow gave them the right answer, "I'm 18 years old, Gar."

"Oh…" Beast Boy blushed in embarrassment.

"Anyway, all we want to know is are you on our side or theirs?" Cyborg meant whether Shadow was good or evil.

"I'm Commander of the Deathtron Secret Police, Cyborg," Shadow answered, "My job is simple: I have to make sure that no Deathtron violates the conditions in the Sabretron/Deathtron peace treaty, one of those conditions being that no Deathtron may enter Earth without PROPER authorization. I'm on the Deathtrons' side only and if only they abide by those conditions. If not, whether they're high ranking officials or not, they are under arrest." Cyborg didn't expect such a long answer, but knew what Shadow was talking about.

"So, Smart Brain Corporation is actually a Deathtron Organization?" Draco asked. Shadow shook his head.

"Not really, no." He continued, "Smart Brain may have ties to the Deathtrons, but the Corporation is not a part of the Deathtron Empire. The Corporation merely gains technology from the Deathtrons."

Pluto's eyes widened, "So that means…?"

"Yes Takada-san, all of Smart Brain's tech is Deathtronian tech, plain as simple."

"COOL!"

Blackfire was glaring at Shadow and the Snake Knight sighed, "Please, don't give me that leer, Komand'r. If it wasn't for me, you'd still be on the Centauri's Top 10 most wanted list. "

"What?" Blackfire sounded surprised.

"Remember when you were on a date with the mutt here?" Shadow pointed to Pluto and Blackfire nodded. "You were captured by one of the Centauri drones, right?" She nodded. "Well, I went up to those officers' ship and 'politely' asked them to put you under my custody." The Titans were all shocked at this revelation, but not as much as Blackfire.

"WHAT?" Of course, what Shadow really meant was that he had demanded them to put Blackfire in his custody, less they violate the deal they made with the Deathtrons who supplied them with the technology to build the drones.

Shadow then apologized, "I am sorry for keeping this from you…but I was under oath to never reveal my status as a Deathtron, much less Commander of the Deathtron Secret Police." He added, "There's a reason why it's called Secret Police."

Raven sat down next Shadow and pinched him on the cheek. She smiled at him, "No hard feelings. Despite lying to us, you've proven yourself to be a trustworthy member of the team." She turned to the others, especially Robin, "Right guys?" They all nodded.

"So, you're not all mad?" Shadow asked hopefully.

"Maybe a little…" Robin said slowly, but got elbowed by Terra. "Okay, we're not mad."

"But you're an undercover cop, dude!" Beast Boy squawked. "That's gotta be a sweet job!"

Shadow rolled his eyes, "It's not all it's cracked up to be, Beast Boy. The paperwork is nearly endless with my job." Everyone laughed at this.

Robin, "Well, I just hope those Deathtron Pirates get caught, which brings up the question." He paused, "How did you and Starfire find out that you used to be childhood friends and why didn't you remember until now?"

Starfire and Shadow looked at each other before looking at the others and answering, "We do not know…"

Shadow added, "All I know is we did."

Starfire continued, "And this planet is where we first met…although I am confused as to why and how I could have forgotten such a thing." She turned to her sister, "Blackfire, did I come here before?"

Blackfire was silent for a few seconds before she answered, "Yeah we did…It was back when you were a little kid, 5 or 6 years old. I was about 7 in a half when we first came here. Our parents, the King and Queen of Tamaran, were discussing trade between Gaijo and Tamaran."

Pluto interjected, "That would explain on how you knew Acro, huh?"

"Yes," Blackfire continued, "Anyway, my lil' sis always had Galfore, our Knorf'ka (Beast Boy whispered 'nanny' into Terra's ear and she giggled) watching over her, so she didn't make any new friends. I was off on my own, exploring the city and Little Star here was at the park, playing with a ball while Galfore watched over her." She then said to Starfire, "It's your turn Star to tell them what happened."

Starfire told her half of the story, "While I was playing with a ball, a man and a woman came into the park with their children. The oldest child was a girl with green hair (Megami) and the youngest was in the mother's arms. I then noticed a little blue haired boy in a black cloak, my age at the time, hiding behind the woman, his mother. He looked scared and uncertain…and a little shy. I smiled at him and he smiled back at me." Shadow remembered this, now. His parents had taken them to Gaijo to discuss a deal with Acro. It must've had something to do with Smart Brain Corporation at the time. Starfire looked over at Shadow, silently asking him to finish the story.

"My parents introduced themselves to Galfore and Galfore, despite his imposing figure, was nice enough to allow me to play with Starfire, who I knew only as Koriand'r at the time. We started spending time together and slowly grew closer, becoming friends." Shadow sighed, "Starfire...Koriand'r…was my very first friend."

"As you were mine, Ichijyo," Starfire smiled, walking over and taking his hand. He blushed while Raven and Robin looked a little jealous. Jinx and Pluto snickered at the two birds' reaction.

"But if that's true, why didn't you two remember until now?" Terra asked.

Starfire looked at each other with confusion. They both said, "We…we do not know…"

"All I know is…something happened…something bad…something that caused me and Starfire to forget ever knowing one another." Shadow paused, "Although, I did feel empty when I was 6…like I lost something. I know now what I have lost."

"As have I," surprising everyone, Starfire kissed Shadow on the cheek, causing him to blush. Raven and Robin's eyes narrowed.

Draco was crying, "That's…that's the most beautiful thing I've ever heard…"

Shadow rolled his eyes, "Draco…don't be such a sentimental fool."

"But, it's so much like a fairytale…" Jinx nodded in agreement, tearing up as well.

Shadow rolled his eyes, "This, I don't need right now. I'm going out." As he was about to leave, an orange hand grabbed onto his.

"May we depart together, friend Ichijyo?" Starfire asked genuinely, "I wish to, how you say, catch up on lost time."

Shadow shrugged, "Sure, why not. We can go around town together and maybe we can reminisce while going to the park where we first met."

Starfire beamed, "A marvelous idea, friend. Come, let us depart!"

"After you Starfire," Shadow opened the door for her and she giggled at his chivalrous attitude. Robin and Raven eyed the two friends jealously.

* * *

Meanwhile…Line and Sinker were in their hideout, an old abandoned building, and facing their captain…Captain Hook.

Hook stood before them, frustrated and angry. "You failed." That statement wasn't a question and wasn't intended to be a question in the first place. Capt. Hook wore red and black armor with his Deathtron Pirate symbol on his chest. His right hand was clawed while his left hand was replaced by a sharp and menacing looking hook; hence his name. Red robes with golden trimmings and black lining were worn under his armor and to finish the look off was a large feathered hat. His face was concealed under a mask with moustache and round sockets that revealed a pair of glowing eyes.

Line tried to make an excuse, "We tried to kidnap the girl, Captain. We even put the entire hotel to sleep. We didn't expect there to be anyone awake to stop us."

"But there was, wasn't there Mr. Line?" Hook said in a calm yet frightening tone. "And because of that, not only did you lose the girl, but we are now held back one step from our ultimate goal…the Medusa Cannon!"

Sinker commented, "But isn't the Medusa Cannon just a legend?"

Hook glared at his muscleman, "A legend? Would a legend have the power to shift the balance of power between the Deathtrons and Sabretrons? I don't think so, Mr. Sinker, no…" the Captain continued, "The Medusa Cannon is real my companions…and once it is in our grasp…the entire Universe will be ours and no one will be able stop us!" Hook laughed manically and both Line and Sinker joined in the laughter…All they needed now was the Tamaranean Princess…Starfire!

* * *

On the planet known as Gradnox a war was being waged, one that is more vicious than any other war has come and gone in the universe. Gradnox is home to an insect like race known as the Kalron, creatures who at one time tried to populate the entire universe, making their species the absolute by traveling to other worlds as they began to destroy the dominate species of the planet, driving them into extinction. As soon as the extinction was complete, they would begin to populate and taking it over and moving on to the next one.

Actually, this was all being played like a movie.

Inside the Gaijoan Holographic Simulation History Museum, the Titans, with the exception of Starfire and Shadow, were witnessing the last battle of the Gaijoan Military forces, Sabretrons and even the Deathtrons in a Holographic History Archive as they all battled against the alien race known as the Kalron.

None of the Titans had ever witnessed a war being fought first hand and this would possibly be the closest they would ever want to get to a war without being in one.

Explosions rippled through the air as bodies were flown from the shockwave of explosions, laser fire was being traded as some men ran out of ammo and began to reload, calling what they were doing so their allies can offer them cover fire.

A Gaijoan Captain ran up, his 12mm T7 Concussion Laser Rifle along with an under barrel Photon Mini-Rocket Launcher, he crouched and pointed the barrel of the gun at a large Guard Tower and Barricade structure, "Launcher!" yelled the Captain to the T7 Rifle as a red light on the side of the T7 became active. "Get down!"

The soldiers yelled it across as they did what they were told. After three second the Gaijoan Captain pulled the trigger on the T7 Rifle, as the Photon Mini-Rocket Launcher fired. The rocket was different than that of Earth's rockets as the rocket looked more like a small ball of energy, not to mention the explosion was that of ten missiles fired from an Apache Helicopter combined

The Captain fired again as another Photon Rocket was sent at the structure for good measure. As he did this, he jumped back into the ditch just as a huge explosion rippled forward which obliterated the Guard Tower and completely destroyed the Barricade that were keeping the soldiers from advancing any further.

As the debris began to fall the Captain got up and yelled, "ADVANCE!!"

A yell came forward from the entire allied army of Gaijoans, Sabretrons and Deathtrons as they ran forward, ducking for cover as they leaned to the side and began to spray a bit with their 9mm KJ Automatic Disintegrative Rifles and 7mm Arja Single Shot Concussive Laser Rifles.

A Kalron charged forward as it tried to strike the Captain with its long claws. But the Gaijoan Captain was much faster as he dodged to the side. He crouched low as he took his left hand off of the T7 he was carrying and fisted his hand as a three foot blade came out of the top wrist of his Military Division Battle suit. At that point, he shoved it into the Kalron's exoskeleton abdomen as it pierced the hard outer shell. The blade then began to act like a chainsaw as he pushed it up and he cut the Kalron in half as blue sticky blood gushed out of the wound, covering the Captain in it. As the Kalron fell down the Captain gave the alien a helping hand by kicking the creature to the side and resuming the war.

After the destruction of the Barricade and the Guard Tower, it was considered a massacre, Kalrons fell left and right, with them taking a few Gaijoans and Sabretrons with them, but all in all this war seemed to have been won, that was until it happened…

The ground underneath the Allied Alien Forces exploded beneath them as a massive armadillo like insect with giant mantis like claws and tentacles that sprayed acid from the tip came out, the exoskeleton gleamed in the red sky light that the sun gave off to the planet.

"It's a Cordren, fall back!" yelled the Captain as he tried to provide cover fire for his comrades by firing his T7 Rifle at the creature trying to get its attention. The Concussive Blasts bounced off of its exoskeleton, but the Captains plan worked nonetheless as he had gotten the attention of the Cordren…now he's just wishing he hadn't.

He dashed to the opposite side of the creature as he veered left and right, avoiding the sprays of acid coming from the tentacles and ducking under those that tried wrap themselves around the Captain for a crushing kill.

He was able to get into a ditch as he saw an Intel soldier who was getting a message from Gaijo, "Sir! Reinforcements are coming from Gaijo!"

"How long?"

"One minute Sir!"

"Hold the Cordren! Don't let it destroy the barracks!" yelled the Captain as he began to fire on the insect alien.

The Titans watched in awe as they saw the historical holographic record being played right in front of them. The entire area before them was 3-dimensional holographic presentation displayed in real time. What they were witnessing actually happened over a million years ago and was recorded in military and historical databases within Gaijo among other planets as well.

They were also amazed at how quickly the tide of war can shift to one's favor. The entire Allied Alien Army of Gaijoan soldiers, Deathtron soldiers as well as Sabretron marines were concentrating their firepower on the huge tank-like insect alien. The creature was massive and towered at thirty stories in height and was twenty feet wide. It was spraying acid out of its tentacles in retaliation of the fire power being directed at it.

"Get someone up on those turrets!" yelled the Captain as he tried to order his men to get on the turrets, but as soon as he said it, one of the T3-56 Series Disintegrative Turret Cannons came to life and aimed at the Cordren.

The fire from the T3-56 Cannon began to do some damage to the Cordren, not much but its wobbling was an indication that the alien was being damaged somewhat. However, the exoskeleton of the alien was much more durable and it would take more than one turret to crack the armor.

At that point another T3-56 Cannon came active and began to fire along with its twin. With the two T3-56 Series Disintegrative Turret Cannon pounding away at the exoskeleton and another soon joining in, it didn't take long for the exoskeleton to start to crack.

However as fast the turrets pounded away at the exoskeleton, it wasn't fast enough as the armor began to heal itself.

Then, the armor began to glow which meant only one thing, "It's going to self-destruct!"

The Captain was about to issue a full retreat inside the barracks until the Intel solder called out, "Sir! Reinforcements have arrived!"

And as if on cue, a Drop Ship with a Sixty-Five Arborow Destroyer Cannons came into view as it fired on the Cordren. The exoskeleton gave away as the creature blew up, spraying acid blood everywhere. The soldiers were able to duck for cover as the acid touched the Barracks and the Drop Ship but did no damage to either.

As the ship touched down, several thousand other ships came into the planet's atmosphere, Artolo fighter ships, Dregnaught Carrier Ships and several dozen Drop Ships.

As the Dregnaught Carrier Ships landed and the hatches opened on the roof, fifty foot mechanized battle suits came out all looking exactly like human beings with the exception of colors. Some were silver and gold, the Gaijoan and Sabretron colors of the military, while others were black and red, the Deathtron color of their military.

The Drop Ship landed and thousands of soldiers ran out, all carrying T7 Rifles, KJ Automatics, and Arja Single Shots as well as Arbola Photon Torpedo Launchers.

Also, what looked to be ground vehicle support came out of the Drop Ships as the vehicles seemed to hover over the ground a few feet. A driver was seated as he steered left and right, on the passenger side was another soldier wielding an Orto front Semi-Automatic Proton Turret Blaster. Sitting at the side of the back being protected by a shielding unit were two Sabretron soldiers, each wielding a T7 Rifle, but instead of an under barreled Photon Mini-Rocket Launcher, they had a Plasmoid Ice Grenade Launcher in its place. The Plasmoid Ice Grenades allowed one to freeze anything instantly in its place. It worked much like Liquid Nitrogen, except that it worked a thousand times faster and was far more lethal. This was because if anything was frozen with it, the target would immediately explode into thousands of ice like shrapnel, which could even pierce Titanium alloy, Adamantium steel and other metals that were far more powerful.

The Titans were simply amazed at the whole realism of the entire Historical Holographic presentation. Beast Boy whistled in amazement as Pluto was interested to how the machine worked as well as the weapons used by the shoulders. They were simply awesome and with firepower like that, not even Slade could touch them.

Raven was amazed at the whole thing, but she felt a little lonely that Shadow wasn't here to watch this. She let out a sigh. Robin was feeling the same way. He wasn't supposed to be feeling this, but he felt somewhat jealous that Shadow and Starfire were spending time together, alone. He shouldn't think like that, seeing as they were just friends…but the green eyed monster was on his back, whispering into his ear. Seeing as the Titans were distracted by the presentation, he snuck out of the museum, unnoticed…or so he thought. Raven saw him sneaking out and knew what he intended to do. She quietly snuck away, which was easy as the others were a bit distracted at the moment.

Jinx watched as the two 'birds' snuck away and shook her head, smirking. She then turned her attention back to the holo-presentation as an impressive explosion erupted.

* * *

Starfire and Shadow were having a sort of a date. They arrived at the park where they first met. Starfire beamed brightly, floating as she twirled in the air. Shadow smiled. This place brought memories with its Gaijoan flora. The flowers were beautiful and the citizens and tourists came here with their children and families to spend time together.

Gaijo was like that. It was like Earth, but more peaceful without prejudice or any hatred or bigotry. Races from various planets either came here for holiday or just wanted to live on this planet. He then looked to Starfire, who landed on a certain spot near a bench.

"Remember this place, Ichijyo?" Starfire asked with her arms spread to her sides. Shadow walked over to her.

"Yes, it does bring fond memories," he answered, "This is park where we first met."

"It is absolutely wonderful that we have rediscovered our lost friendship. I do not know nor believe what could've caused us to forget."

Shadow was about to answer when a snide voice said, "They'll let any garbage in the park nowadays." Shadow whirled around and met face to face with Val Yor…in Shadow's mind, this guy was a bigot and he hated bigots…next to Whitelighters of course.

"Val Yor…" Shadow hissed. Starfire noticed the Vernathian and greeted him pleasantly.

"Greetings Val Yor, I did not realize that you were on Gaijo." Despite his mistreatment of her, she was still polite. Val Yor just scoffed at her greeting, feeling that she was beneath him. Shadow hissed at Val Yor's behavior.

Val Yor sneered, "A Deathtron Scum and a Troq…How fitting." Starfire flinched at the term while Shadow just hissed hatefully.

"Don't you ever call her that again!" Shadow shouted.

"What are you going to do about it, scum?" Val Yor challenged.

Shadow looked to Starfire, who was shaking her head. Shadow gave her a reassuring smile. "It's okay Starfire…I won't hurt him." He gave her a toothy grin, "Much"

"You hurt me?" Val Yor laughed, "I'd like to see you-" before Captain Val Yor could finish his statement, Shadow's fist struck him across the face, as hard as he could, and sending the muscular alien sprawling.

Shadow shook his own hand, saying, "Starfire may not strike you for calling her that word, but I don't really care if you call me scum…But, say that to my friends, any of my friends…" he trailed off, giving off an obvious death threat as he slashed a finger over his neck. Val Yor glowered, picking himself up, and walking away.

"This isn't over," Val Yor growled.

Starfire said to him, concerned and worried, "You should not have done that."

"I had to do something, Starfire. He was calling you names, and as a gentleman I am honor bound to defend a lady's honor." He took her hand and kissed it. She blushed as he gave her a charming smile. "Shall we be on our way?"

Hiding behind several bushes were Robin and Raven. Robin's teeth were grinding back and forth, eyes narrowed. Raven was keeping her anger and jealousy in check. Seeing Shadow kiss Starfire's hand made them both see red and green. Of course, Robin and Raven had to commend Shadow on defending Starfire's honor. Val Yor was a jerk. Did Shadow know the Vernathian was going to be on Gaijo or…

"Hey guys," Jinx purred, scaring the crap out of Raven and Robin. With the witch was the young draconic Knight of Combustion. "Spying on Star and Shadow I see."

"It's not what you think!" Robin tried to make an excuse when Raven sighed.

"Save it Tim, we've been caught," the empath told the Boy Wonder. Robin groaned.

"You both should know better," Draco scolded. "Those two are just friends you know."

"I can understand Robin, but Raven," Jinx quipped, "I never though that you Rae would be green with envy."

Raven averted the hex mistress' gaze. To be criticized by Jinx of all people…this just wasn't her day. She sighed and said, "They're right, Tim. We should just leave them alone."

Robin was unconvinced. He was being an ass and knew it, but he didn't care. He wasn't going to admit that he was jealous, which he was, but seeing Starfire smiling around Shadow was…

"Tim…" Raven warned.

Robin sighed in defeat, "Fine, we'll leave them alone. Happy?" Jinx and Draco smiled victoriously.

Or so they thought

* * *

Starfire and Shadow ate lunch at a corner Café in the city. Shadow had a cup of Gaijoan herbal tea as Starfire ordered one of its local dishes. Shadow paid with an Astro Credit card. Starfire ate a healthy amount of food, which was a lot. However, Shadow smiled at Starfire's appetite. Tamaraneans could eat a lot and not gain a single pound since their 9 stomachs digested food very quickly. Shadow had a small portion of cake that had what appeared to be Gaijoan berries baked inside.

Robin and Raven were seated at a table nearby, but far enough to not be seen by the Tamaranean and Vampangel. The spying duo was being spied on by another pair, one with pink hair and another with fiery red hair.

"They are still at it," Jinx said, sipping a cup of tea.

"Jealousy is a really terrible thing," Draco agreed as he sipped his juice through a straw. "I hope that relationships don't get broken up because of Kori and Ichijyo's friendship." Jinx nodded in agreement.

* * *

Blackfire, Terra, Pluto, Cyborg and Beast Boy walked out of the museum. Beast Boy was jumping up and down excitedly and both Cyborg and Pluto were just excited.

"That was so cool!" Beast Boy exclaimed, "Finally a museum that's not boring!"

"The explosions in those movies deserve a booyah!" Cyborg pumped his fists.

"And those weapons, man were they awesome!" Pluto said with great excitement.

"What is it with boys and explosions?" Blackfire said with some amusement.

"Maybe it's genetic," Terra offered. "Where are Robin, Jinx, Raven and Draco?' she asked, looking around.

"They must've snuck out during the BIG explosion," Blackfire answered.

"We better go find them," Terra said to her. Blackfire waved it off.

"Nah, let them go. Let's go check out the shopping mall," the eldest Tamaranean princess smirked. Terra smirked as well. The boys, hearing this, groaned, knowing fully well that they would be carrying the girls' bags.

To Be Continued…


	87. PT087: The Medusa Cannon

Part 87: The Medusa Cannon

Starfire and Shadow witnessed as several street performers performed for their audiences. They saw two 8 armed aliens juggling spiked balls, a two headed reptilian fire eater/breather as well as an exotic alien dancer. Starfire laughed with glee and applauded. Shadow enjoyed the sounds of her beautiful laughter.

Later, the two went to a sort of alien arcade of sorts. There, Shadow won Starfire a stuffed alien doll, which she hugged to herself. She gave him a peck on the cheek and squealed happily.

After that, Shadow and Starfire arrived at a local bazaar. Merchants of many alien races were busy selling off their goods. The place wasn't as packed as the local Gaijoan Mall, but it still provided to the planet's economy as well as filled the alien merchant's pockets.

The items being sold were fine fabrics, jewelry and even toys for young ones. Starfire sometimes acted like a child, innocent and carefree. She looked at the items being sold by the merchants in ideal curiosity. Shadow smiled. His eyes then fell on an interesting item…a green diamond. It was a Centauri Moon Diamond. Without Starfire noticing, he went over to buy the jewel. The merchant was large and had broad shoulders, covered in robes. Shadow picked up the jewel and asked, "How much?"

The merchant answered, "If you have to ask, you can't afford it." That statement was rude and Shadow rolled his eyes. The merchant answered, "50, 000 Astro Credits." Shadow handed him his Cred-Card and the merchant sold him the jewel after getting his credits. "The girl you are giving that too is very lucky, you know?" Shadow had to blush.

"She's not my girlfriend."

"Who is not your girlfriend?" Starfire suddenly asked, scaring the crap out of him. He nearly dropped the green diamond.

He stuttered, raising up the necklace and showing it to Starfire, "For you…Koriand'r…" Starfire squealed.

"A Centauri Moon Diamond!" She then eyes him suspiciously, "Did you steal it?" he shook his head.

"I bought it." She squealed again and took it, wearing it around her neck. Shadow smiled, "It matches your eyes."

Starfire blushed at the compliment, "Thank you, Ichijyo." She then gave him a kiss on the cheek.

Not too far away, hiding, were Raven and Robin. Robin's left eye twitched and Raven was trying to keep her demonic side from taking over, with little affect. Their jealousy and anger intensified when Starfire kissed Shadow.

Not too far away from the spying birds were Draco and Jinx. Draco shook his head, "They'll never learn."

"I'm just glad I don't have that happening with you," Jinx kissed him.

When Shadow and Starfire walked away, the merchant who had sold the diamond to Shadow spoke into a communicator. Moving the cloth covering his face, he was revealed to be Sinker! He spoke, "Target has worn teleportation device, Captain."

The voice of Captain Hook spoke, "Excellent Mr. Sinker. Commence teleportation."

Sinker reached into a compartment in his armor and pulled out a remote. He pressed the button down.

Starfire began glowing, much to Shadow's panic. "Koriand'r! What's happening?" before she could answer, she vanished. Horrified, he shouted in a panic, "KORIAND'R!"

Robin, Raven, Jinx and Draco leapt into visibility as they had witnessed Starfire's disappearance. Robin ran over to Shadow and asked, "What happened? Where's Star?"

"I…I don't know…" Shadow slumped down on his knees, "I failed…I failed again…"

"Again?" Raven questioned, kneeling down, "What do you mean again?"

"I remember now…When we were children…the same thing happened to Koriand'r. She was with me and some Deathtrons were trying to kidnap her for whatever reason. I tried to save her, but got hurt instead. I got taken as well. I vowed to protect my first friend, but failed to do so. We were rescued by my parents and Galfore. It was suggested, for both our best interest to forget one another and the ordeal…now, it's happening again…"

"What is?" Draco asked.

Suddenly, the ground began to shake as if something was rising up from the ground.

Something did and it was big.

The hidden Deathtronian weapon had risen up from its slumber…

Robin flipped open his communicator and saw the blip representing Starfire. "I got a lock on her communicator. We better call the others and…"

"No time! We need to go now!" Shadow shouted, flying off in the direction. Robin shook his head. Raven levitated Robin as Draco held Jinx in his arms. The 4 Titans flew after the Zodiac Knight of Snakes.

* * *

The excavation site was littered with the bodies of the Gaijoan science team as an army of Locrix now stood in the zone. Something had been unearthed and now Hook, Line and Sinker had the key. In Hook's normal hand was a remote control. Laughing, he said, "Let it rise…" he pressed a button and the artifact…weapon…came to life… "Behold, the Medusa Cannon."

The Medusa Cannon was mounted upon a massive base, nearly twenty feet high, 100 feet long and 50 feet wide. The cannon itself was a good 110 feet long and 5 feet in diameter. The massive thing was colored obsidian with bits of it colored copper red or dark green. The Deathtron symbol rested at the front of the base. The base itself had hover jets attached to the bottom. Between the base and the cannon was a green oval shaped chamber. The chamber held a humanoid form inside…Koriand'r of Tamaran A.K.A Starfire, unconscious, tied and gagged.

The Cannon fired, shooting its beam everywhere. The beam spread and anything organic that the beam made contact with turned to stone. When the Titans arrived, they watched helplessly as the beam spread all over the city.

The beam spread over Draco, Jinx, Robin and Raven. Both Raven and Draco were unaffected, but two of them weren't so lucky.

"Robin!" Raven exclaimed as her eyes fell upon her friend and leader. He had been turned into a statue. Seeing him like this as well as the entire population of the city turned to stone reminded her of the Prophecy.

"Jinx!" Draco's eyes went wide with horror as he witnessed his girlfriend, now a stone statue.

* * *

At the mall, Pluto was the only one not turned to stone. Cyborg, Beast Boy, Terra and Blackfire, however, met the same fate as stone statues. "Cy! BB! Terra!" His eyes went to his girlfriend, "Komi…" he placed a hand on her face and he clenched his fist. His DOG-Phone then rang. He picked it up, flipped it open and answered, "What is it?" Draco's voice answered.

"There are Deathtrons here! They kidnapped Star and fired a huge cannon that turned everyone to stone! I'll send you the coordinates! Meet us there!" Pluto flipped the phone close and turned to his stone friends, especially Blackfire.

"I'm going to save you all." He transformed, "ZODIAC FORCE OF THE DOG!" his flew up, his bat wings spread out, following the coordinates.

* * *

"Oh my lord…" Shadow eyes widened, completely horrified. He had heard legends of the Medusa Cannon, but had never really seen it up close. It had only been a legend, but the path of its devastation power had been paved as everything and anything organic within range; the animals, the people, even the plant life was turned to stone. He then transformed, "ZODIAC FORCE OF THE SNAKE!"

* * *

Hook was holding the remote, both Line and Sinker flanking him. There was no one to stop his plans, no one.

Or so he thought.

Arriving at the scene were the Teen Titans…only 4 of them. Shadowcobra was leading them. Draco was in his armor and both Raven and Pluto were ready for battle.

"Let Koriand'r go!" Shadowcobra demanded. Hook laughed.

"Sorry, but none of you is in any position to be making demands. I'm in control here and the Medusa Cannon will help me control the Universe. I don't know how you four escaped the beam, but it's too late for you to stop us."

"Over my dead body!" Draco remarked. He was angry…really angry…his girlfriend had been turned to stone and he was in no mood to joke.

"I was hoping you'd say that," Hook then pressed 'The Red Button'.

The Medusa Cannon started transforming…into a massive automaton. The thing stood on two large and bulky legs with 5 clawed toes on each foot. The arms were slim and ended with a pair of hands with longs fingers. Its shoulders were large and round looking with spikes jutting out of them. Upon the robot's back was the cannon component, hence the name 'Medusa Cannon'. Its head looked like a skull with sharp fangs lining the upper and lower jaws. Upon the head was a pair of curved horns, like those of a bull and hanging out of the back were long writhing cables, moving like snakes ready to strike. The thing had three eyes, the centre eye containing…Starfire!

The monstrosity let out a loud sound, a mix between a roar and a bellow. Shadow's eyes widened. Now he knew what the thing was…

"Tank Zarak…"

The Medusa Cannon was in fact a giant robot, over 120 feet tall and 65 feet wide. Tank Zarak's chest gleamed with the Deathtron's emblem. The name Tank Zarak fit it well as it lumbered over the ground, creating short but powerful tremors.

"Kami-sama…It's huge…" Draco's eyes widened from behind his large green eyepieces. Pluto could only nod in agreement, awed and frightened by the sheer size of the gigantic behemoth. Raven's eyes grew under her hood. Never before had she seen such a weapon. They looked up at the weapon known as the Medusa Cannon…now called Tank Zarak. The thing was massive. It had turned nearly everyone on Gaijo to stone, except for the Knights, and Raven. The other Titans, Acro and Val Yor had been turned to stone with the rest of the citizens and Starfire…Koriand'r was being used as a battery for the horrendous thing!

"KORIAND'R!" Shadow shouted as he flew towards the bound and gagged Tamaranean princess. As he reached out with his arm, he was pushed away by a red force field. He hissed in anger and drew a card before sliding it into his staff.

"Final Vent." Genosnaker slithered behind his master as Shadow did a back flip and jumped, before being catapulted by the giant serpent, kicking his legs wildly. "GENOCIDE CRUSH!"

The force field was too strong and sparks flew, but Shadow continued to try and break through it. There was a powerful recoil of energy and Shadow was thrown off violently, his armor shattering off in the process. He rolled on the ground, his belt and deck still on him. He looked up and narrowed his eyes. '_Starfire!_ _Koriand'r!' _He struggled to get up, but fell on his knees. He felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned and saw Draco, in his armor, looking down at him.

"You okay, Shadow?" he asked. He helped Shadow stand up.

"We have to…we have to save…Koriand'r," Shadow said as he was able to stand.

Pluto and Raven flew up and around, firing electrical bolts and a dark energy blasts. The attacks didn't seem to affect the thing. Tank Zarak roared and fired a beam from its mouth. The flier dodged.

The Deathtron pirates known as Hook, Line and Sinker laughed, watching with glee at the Titans' pathetic attempt. Soon, they would have enough power to launch the dreaded weapon to space and thus conquer the universe! No one could stop them and if anyone did, the fool would meet his fate, turned into a stone statue by the Medusa Cannon.

"DEATHTRONS FOREVER!" Hook, Line and Sinker shouted out, laughing out maniacally. Suddenly, an entire army of Locrix appeared. They all bore the Deathtron Pirate symbols on them. Their job was to take care of the Titans. Hook commanded, "Destroy them!" he turned to Sinker and Line, "You two go and take care of the one in red and the other one in blue."

"Yes Sir!" Line and Sinker saluted obediently.

The Locrix attacked relentlessly. Shadow was still trying to break through the force field with limited effect as the thing kept pushing him away. At the meantime, Draco, Pluto and Raven had their hands full with the Locrix. The two Knights of Dragon and Dog used Trick Vent to give them a fair advantage, creating multiple duplicates of themselves. Of course, Line and Sinker were going to make this a little more fair…for themselves.

Sinker tackled into the Dog Knight as Line lashed his electrical whips at the Dragon Knight, leaving Raven alone with the dupes to take down the Locrix. Oh boy. Raven was using her magic to smash apart, cut in half, and crush the Locrix. However, more still kept on coming and she was getting tired, even with the Knights' dupes aiding her.

Line lashed out with his whips at Draco as the Dragon Knight leaned back and to the side to avoid the vicious swings. He shot a fireball, but Line spun his whips around like fans and extinguished it.

"Any more tricks, matchstick boy?" Line taunted. Draco fumed.

"Matchstick boy, huh?" Draco fired several more fireballs, but Line was light on his feet and agilely dodged each blast. Draco decided to then go physical and the Dragblade popped out. He swung his sword to parry the wild lashes of the whips. However, he was unable to parry the ones wrapped around his legs in time.

"Time to reel in the catch of the day!" Line laughed, pulling Draco towards him. Draco reached out and touched the whip, sending shivers and freezing cold up it. The whip became solid ice and brittle. He flipped back and broke the whip.

"Hah!" Draco laughed triumphantly. Line of course removed the ice cold whip and produced another one. "Oh crap!" The whip crackled with electricity. "Oh double crap!"

"Time for your whipping boy!" Line lashed out with his whip, narrowing any chance of escape for Draco as electricity crackled around him. The whips were like electric eels and their movements were erratic. One touch could stun him and Draco could not take that chance.

Line lashed out his electrified whips and Draco stomped the ground, raising up a stone slab as a shield. And, as you know, stone does not conduct electricity. Draco drew two cards and slid them into his gauntlet. "Sword Vent, Shoot Vent."

Line lashed his whips as hard as he could and violently shattered the stone slab. To his shock, Draco had his Dragon Cannon aimed right at him and holding the Condor Glaive in one hand. He expertly swung the dual bladed pole-arm and posed. Line, unimpressed, lashed out with his whips, but Draco parried with the Glaive. Line then dodged the fireballs Draco was shooting him with.

"Not so tough are you, huh?" Draco mocked, shooting at his enemy. Line, of course, didn't just have his whips. Suddenly, the thin whip lashing pirate disappeared. Draco looked around, shocked and confused. "Hey, where did he go?" he got his answer when an invisible force struck him in the back and once again in the front before slamming him up the chin. "Ow!" Had Line gone invisible?

Line reappeared in a blur, "I have my whips, but I'm also fast. I was built that way." He sped up, moving at blinding speed. Draco, of course, had a trick of his own.

The Dragon Knight drew a card and slid it into his buckle. "XL-Vent: Excel Active." His Excel Suit activated. He then said, "Axel Start Up." The Excel Streams turned silver and his eyepieces turned red. He then ran at blinding speed, with only 10 seconds to spare.

Pluto screamed and flew straight at Sinker, only to ram into the pirate's heavily armored chest and slide down. Sinker picked him up by the head and laughed, "My armor is made out of the most powerful alloys in the Universe! I am invincible!"

"Can it withstand 50,000 volts?" Pluto grabbed onto Sinker's wrist and sent a surge of electricity through him. However, Sinker was unfazed.

"Please, I work with a guy who has electrified whips. I've built up a tolerance." Pluto tried zapping him again. "Didn't I just tell you?" Pluto continued to zap him, over and over again. Sinker shook his head, "Captain was right…Earthlings are stubborn."

Pluto then used the Rooster power to life up several stone trees and bash Sinker in the back of the head with them. However, the trees shattered and Sinker was not letting go. Pluto tried to wrench himself free, even using his telekinesis to loosen Sinker's grip, but the Deathtron Pirate still held firm. Pluto muttered, "I was right…Deathtrons are stubborn."

Shadow transformed again, "ZODIAC FORCE OF THE SNAKE!" and went to battle with Hook. The evil Pirate Captain parried all of Shadow's staff strikes with his sharp hook. "As Commander of the Deathtron Secret Policem, I hereby put you under arrest and demand that you release Koriand'r immediately!" he demanded, but this was only met with laughter.

"There's no way I can do that!" Hook shouted, kicking Shadow in the guy. "Once the Medusa Cannon…Tank Zarak has an energy source, there's no way to stop him, unless the energy source is taken away…or is drained." Shadow's eyes widened. By drained…he meant…Die.

"NO!" Shadow delivered a roundhouse kick to Hook's midsection before connecting a right hook to Hook's mask. The mask cracked and Hook shouted in anger.

"You shouldn't have done that!" Hook activated the power of his Hook, charging it up with power. "YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE BROKEN MY MASK!" he slashed down with his hook and Shadow raised up his staff to block and push it back.

"3…2…1…Time Over…" Draco reappeared as his Axel System timed out. Line reappeared and stood victoriously. Draco panted, exhausted. Pluto, of course, was being used as punching bag by Sinker as the giant pirate's fist slammed into the Dog Knight's chest, repeatedly, relentlessly.

Pluto and Draco were fighting a losing battle. Line and Sinker, despite his size, were both fast, skilled and experienced in the art of deadly combat. Their armors had dents in them. Raven, of course, wasn't faring too well as she had to handle the Locrix all alone after the dupes were destroyed. The rest of the team had been turned to stone, thanks to the Medusa Cannon, so there was no one else to aid them. Even Acro and Val Yor had fallen victim to the cannon.

"Where's help when you need it?' Raven panted as she destroyed two Locrix with her powers.

"Somebody called?" a blonde kid with her hair in a braid suddenly dropped in and crystallized the Locrix surrounding Raven before shattering them with her punches and kicks. Raven recognized the little spitfire.

"Renia?"

"Hey," Renia grinned as she continued to crystallize and shatter the Locrix.

Line had his electrified whip around Draco's neck, squeezing and shocking the life out of him. The Dragon Knight roared in agony as the pirate said, gloating and rubbing it in Draco's face, "The Deathtrons will once again be the most feared organization in the Universe and Captain Hook shall be our leader!"

"Oh really?" said a familiar voice and Line looked down to see…a ghost; a ghost with green eyes and white hair, grabbing onto his leg.

"What?" Line was confused. "Who are you?"

The ghost rose up from the ground and blasted Line back with a green energy blast. Line's whip let go of Draco's neck. That powerful blast knocked Line out.

"I'm Danny Phantom!" Danny helped Draco up and said, "You okay, Leo?"

"Danny?" asked, bewildered as he tried to catch his breath. His body was smoking.

"It's me," Danny smiled, "The one and only."

Sinker had just smashed Pluto into the ground. Pluto's electric blasts were doing nothing against Sinker's thick armor and endurance. Sinker was about to send Pluto to his maker, when a giant blue metal fist slammed into him. The same fist then smashed upon him and hammered him into the ground, until only his head was visible since the rest of his body was buried. Pluto then saw someone he never thought to see. It was the Robotic Global Response Unit XJ-9, also known as…

"Jenny!"

"Need help?" Jenny asked eagerly. Danny and Jenny gave each other a thumb's up. Jenny then saw the monstrous Tank Zarak. "Okay, time to test out the containment field bullet." She turned her left hand into a sniper rifle and looked through the scope, aiming.

"Jenny, what are you doing?" Pluto asked, getting up and then kicking Sinker's head.

Jenny answered, "Firing Containment Field Bullet." She fired a bullet that impacted with Tank Zarak's chest.

"It didn't work!" Pluto shouted.

Jenny smirked, "Didn't it?' Suddenly, the monstrosity stopped moving as an electrical grid formed around it, generated from that small bullet. Jenny blew at the barrel.

Pluto complimented, "Nice."

Hook was about to give Shadow the finishing blow, when he saw that Tank Zarak had been immobilized. He grabbed Shadow by the collar of his armor and demanded, crossly, "What happened?" Shadow's faceplate split open and he smirked.

"Just a wrench being put into your plans," Shadow said as he phased out of Hook's hold.

"YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS!" Hook shouted, charging at Shadow, only to be sent flying by a green ecto-blast. Danny appeared next to Shadow.

"I could've handled him," Shadow said, "But thanks anyway, Danny." He looked up at the monstrous Tank Zarak…The Medusa Cannon. "Now, to rescue Koriand'r…"

To Be Continued…


	88. PT088: Bond of Friendship

Part 88: Bond of Friendship

Shadow then remembered the last words he said to little Starfire that day when they had their memories erased:

_I'll always protect you… _

He stood up, his armor letting off a bright angelic glow and a demonic aura. Danny, Jenny and Renia watched as Shadow stood up with his wings spread out. Draco and Raven, who were busy with the Locrix, were stunned by the awesome power Shadow was giving off.

Shadow then recited the spell:

"I call upon the Powers of Darkness and Light,

Bright as Day and Dark as Night,

By the Moon and Sun that share Dark and Light,

Unleash the Power and Release the Might…"

He then shouted out, "I BREAK THE SEAL!" His Snake Armor shattered away, revealing the glowing Mark of Sin. His hair became longer and spread out over his back and some of it even spiked up with silver streaks in it. The mark spread over the upper half of his face and all 7 of his silver and black eyes snapped open. His wings spread out and once there were two, now there were 14…7 Demonic Wings of the Deadly Sins and 7 Angelic Wings of the Holy Virtues. New armor made of both the darkest and brightest metals adorned his body as lavish and tattered robes were worn on him as well. This was his true Vampangel Form…His Arch Vampangel form…

Rising up, he rammed towards Tank Zarak's third eye. Hook laughed at Shadow's (in his opinion) pathetic attempt. "There's no way you can break through the force field! Tank Zarak's third eye is…" He meant to say impenetrable or invincible, but as soon he saw the cracks form upon the eye, he was speechless.

Starfire watched as Shadow continued to break through the force field, ignoring the pain surging through his body. The containment field that Jenny had set up helped to immobilize Tank Zarak, but even it had its limits. Shadow pushed harder and the eye shattered. Shadow grabbed Starfire and flew to escape Tank Zarak's wrath.

**"NOW!**** DESTROY IT NOW!" **Shadow ordered. Renia grinned and cracked her knuckles.

"Music to my ears," the young Alchemist said as she pressed her palms onto the ground, forming a transmutation circle, and sent a crystallizing blast at Tank Zarak. Hook watched horrified as the great weapon was being turned to crystal. He just couldn't believe it that these…these…these meddling kids could defeat him.

Danny saw the crystallization of Tank Zarak and smiled. He took in a deep breath and let loose his GHOSTLY WAIL as loud as he could. The ecto-plasmic energy scream rattled the monstrous machine and soon the thing shattered. Hook was thrown back by the explosion of crystals.

Draco, Pluto and Raven watched as the giant monster was destroyed. The Locrix around them were all destroyed. Raven smiled and said, "They did it." The three of them then flew to the site.

Shadow put Starfire down and his Arch Vampangel form powered down. His hair was white and he smiled softly at Starfire. "I always said that I would…" his knees buckled. "…protect you…" he then fainted. Starfire grabbed onto him.

"Ichijyo? Ichijyo?" Starfire whispered and shook him. She touched his neck with her fingertips and her eyes widened.

"ICHIJYO!!!" She begged, sobbing, "Please do not die…please do not die…" she kneeled down, holding him, gently rocking back and forth.

Danny, Jenny, Renia, Raven Draco and Pluto ran towards the two. Draco asked, "What happened?"

"He…" Starfire sniffled, "He saved me…and sacrificed his own life." Her tears fell upon the fallen Vampangel's face. Raven kneeled down, feeling both distraught and saddened by her love's death. She also began to cry.

Renia spoke, "There might be a way to save him."

* * *

(Later…)

"He knew that breaking the seal on his powers would kill him. However, he had to do it to save Starfire," Renia said.

Raven and Starfire held Shadow within the magical circle that Renia had drawn with chalk.

"Will this work?" Draco asked the young Alchemist.

"It's a simple power transfusion spell using the magical circle to supply the power. Rorek taught it to me while he was teaching me how to control my powers. To restore Shadow's powers and bring him back, the proper representations of his powers is needed. Starfire is to represent light and Raven is to represent darkness." Renia clapped her hands twice and extended both her palms, blue electricity crackled from her hands. The circle also began to glow, "It's ready."

Both Raven and Starfire stared at the young Vampangel's face with worry. He had risked his life to save Starfire from the Deathtrons, even if he was one himself. His white hair was limp and so were his wings.

"Are you ready, friend?" Starfire asked.

Raven blushed, "I know that we both have to kiss him…but I think it should be you first. He needs your light powers to heal."

"And he needs your darkness to stay strong," Starfire agreed, "Let us do this together friend…"

Raven nodded, "Okay, Starfire."

Starfire leaned down and whispered, "Please open your eyes, Friend Shadow. I wish…I wish for you to wake up, my dearest friend…" before pressing her lips to his. The circle began to glow white and the power went into Shadow. His white angel wing began to shine. Starfire pulled away, blushing heavily. She nodded to Raven to proceed.

Raven captured his lips in hers and the circle began glowing a dark black. The power was absorbed into his vampire wing and said appendage started to glow black. Raven pulled back and the two girls watched.

The black and white energies swept over him. The Mark of Sin reappeared on his forehead again and his eyes slowly opened up. His ocean blue eyes slowly opened up. The two girls let out soft cries of joy to see him waking up. His wings slowly rose up and wrapped the two girls in an embrace, feeding his body with power. The power transfusion was complete as Shadow's wings reverted back into his body. His hair also began to fill with color, turning back to black and silver.

Renia breathed, "It is done."

"Good work squirt!" Pluto slapped her on the back.

Renia snapped, "WHO ARE YOU CALLING A SHORT MICROSCOPIC ORGANISM THAT CAN'T BE SEEN WITHOUT A MICROSCOPE?" she bashed him over the head with her crystal hand.

"Okay! I'm sorry! Sheesh!" Pluto threw up his hands to block her swings. Draco laughed.

* * *

(Much later…)

Acro handed several Medals of Courage to Danny Phantom, Jenny 'XJ-9' Wakeman, Renia the Crystal Alchemist, Raven, Shadowcobra, Pluto and Draco. "For displaying great courage and selflessness to save the Planet Gaijo and the rest of the Universe, it is my honor to give you all these Medals of Courage as proof of your bravery. You all deserve to be called Heroes." The teen heroes looked at their medals and smiled.

Renia fixed the sleeves of her red coat, "Well, now that that this is over and done with, I'm going back to Master Rorek. I had to sneak away so I might be in trouble when I get back."

"I'll send you off, Ms. Renia," Acro volunteered.

"Don't bother," she told him. The Crystal Alchemist reached into her pouch and pulled out a glowing blue stone. She threw the stone on the ground and a portal formed. "Give me a call if you need anything!" With one last, "bye," she jumped into the portal.

The Titans were all ready to leave Gaijo for Earth. It seemed that no matter where they went, trouble and adventure would always follow. After an adventure like that, they were ready to pack their things and return home, They were even more exhausted now than they were before…even though most of them spent some of their vacation time as stone statues.

Shadow was back to normal as the seal had been put back on him to limit his power. That had been the second time and he had nearly drained himself to the point of death. He let out a sigh and stared at the medal in his hand. He then saw an orange hand grab onto his hand; a grey hand grabbed onto his other hand. He looked up to see Raven and Starfire, looking at him, smiling.

"Come on, friend Shadow!" Starfire beamed.

"It's time to go," Raven added.

Shadow gave them both a smile as they headed towards the transport shuttle.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Draco asked as he saw Robin's left eye twitching

"I'm fine!" Robin lied between his teeth. He was red in the face.

"You're jealous!" Jinx teased.

"I'm not!" Robin exclaimed.

"You must realize that they only did it to save his life," Draco explained.

"We were all turned to stone, remember?" Robin explained.

"Did anything interesting happen?" Jinx asked Draco.

"Starfire and Raven had to kiss Shadow so he wouldn't die," Draco told her.

Jinx blinked and then smirked, "I knew that snake was slick."

Robin's teeth were grinding back and forth.

"Well, I'll be off now," DT said to them. He was called to Gaijo to take in the three criminals. "I'll be transporting these 3 Deathtron criminals to the nearest prison colony. They won't bother you again." The 3 said criminals were put in a special Gaijoan containment cell, ready to be shipped off by DT. They were screaming insults but the soundproof cell rendered them mute.

"Thanks for your help, DT," Draco shook the Sabretronian Titan's hand.

"Hey, it's my job," DT winked.

"And how did Danny and Jenny get here anyway?" Pluto asked. Both the halfa and robot raised up their SB-Watches.

"The Prof. recently added a teleportation system into the watches," began Danny.

"We just keyed in the coordinates and presto, we're here!" Jenny finished.

Acro congratulated Shadow on a job well done while Val Yor snorted, "He's still a Deathtron scum."

Instead of punching Val Yor in the face, Shadow made a speech, "You know Val Yor, the Universe is changing. Despite me being a Deathtron, I was able to do the job you couldn't do. Also, despite my affiliations with the Deathtrons, Starfire doesn't view me with distrust, hatred and prejudice. I am but one of many Deathtrons, an individual. Starfire is also one of a kind." He then added some emphasis, "You can live with your ignorance and prejudice, but mark my words…you may meet a Tamaranean that would not hesitate to kick your arse for being one."

Val Yor just scoffed arrogantly, "What can a worthless Troq do to me?" Shadow knew Blackfire was in earshot and grinned. Blackfire whirled around and glared at Val Yor, eyes glowing and teeth gritted. She was royally pissed.

"Don't say I didn't warn you," Shadow chuckled as Val Yor got his ass handed to him by a pissed off 'Troq'. He also got zapped by an angered 'mongrel'.

Draco smiled and then turned to watch as Starfire and Shadow laughed together. Good friends would always remain in your heart, no matter what. Within the Vampangel and the Tamaranean's minds were the beautiful memories of their friendship and the bond that they shared…a bond that will never break despite the test of time.

* * *

The return trip back home took three days and when the Titans returned back to the Tower, Shadow made a horrifying discovery.

"WHAT THE BLOODY HELL HAPPENED TO MY ROSES?"

To Be Continued…

ZK Chromedragozoid: Wanna know what happened? Take a good guess by remembering who they asked to take care of the Tower for them.

Next chap: The Robot…RUMBLE…!!!


	89. PT089: To The Robot Rumble

Part 89: To the Robot Rumble

Pluto whistled as he stared at the huge robot before him. He looked up and down, and then up again before letting out another whistle. "Damn!" he commented, "That's one awesome mech!" The mech in question was the combination of the T-Ship, the T-car and Robin's R-Cycle. The upper torso and arms were made out of the T-Ship, the legs and lower torso and legs were made out of the T-Car and the head was made out of Robin's R-Cycle. It was dubbed, 'The Titans Go-Bot 5!' Of course that was a mouthful, so Cyborg changed the name to 'The T-Robo'.

"Yeap," Cyborg agreed, grinning proudly, "Fixit upgraded our old vehicles so they could combine and form this huge robot, just in case our troubles were of the big kind."

"I have to agree with you," Pluto replied, "Fixit does good work." He touched the leg, "Wish I had a mech of my own."

Cyborg arched an eyebrow, "Don't your monsters change into battle vehicles?" he reminded.

Pluto remembered, "Oh yeah." He chuckled, "Forgot about that."

"Hey guys!" Beast Boy hopped into the garage carrying an armful of soda. He passed a can each to his two best friends, "Soda?"

"Thanks BB," Cyborg said as he took a sip. Pluto let out a contented sigh.

"Three guys, soda, and a giant robot," he continued, "What could be better than this?" Beast Boy and Cyborg couldn't help but agree to that.

"I see that you three are bonding. What's the occasion?" Blackfire said as she floated into the garage. She noticed the T-Robo. "That's new."

"Just admiring this huge mech here, Komi," Pluto said as he leaned against one of the bot's legs. "Just three guys and their mech; hey, that could be song!"

Blackfire laughed, "Well if you three guys are done 'bonding', why don't you take me out to lunch, puppy boy?"

Beast Boy and Cyborg snickered while Pluto pouted. The Smart Brain engineer pouted, "Komi! Don't call me that in front of the guys!"

"You're just too cute when you pout," she pinched him on the cheek. She grabbed his wrist, "Now let's go!" she flew with him towards the door, but not before looking over her shoulder at Cyborg, "You know…you could enter that thing in the Robot Rumble. You might win."

This got Cyborg's attention, "Robot Rumble?"

Beast Boy's ears perked up, "Robot Rumble?"

Pluto was intrigued, "Robot Rumble?"

Blackfire rolled her eyes, "Is there an echo here? Boys…" she stopped and floated in the air and let go of Pluto, "It's a sport out where alien robots compete to be number 1. Kinda like wrestling, just not fake."

"WRESTLING'S NOT FAKE!" the '3 Amigos' shouted. Blackfire sweatdropped.

"Okay, okay. Lighten up," she tucked her hair behind her left ear, "Anyway…there's this arena floating in space run by this guy called Magnanimous. He's the chairman of the 'RRF'; The Robot Rumble Federation," Blackfire explained. She then noticed the looks on the three's faces. She groaned, "Oh no…"

"Let's go!" Pluto yelled.

"Road Trip! I mean…Space Trip!" Beast Boy jumped.

"The T-Robo's gonna be the best in the galaxy, yo!" Cyborg pumped his fists. The three of them stood in a circle, facing each other, and shouted, "YEAH!!!" before head butting one another in unison. The subsequent headaches were worth it though. Blackfire slapped herself in the forehead and groaned.

"This is gonna end badly, I just know it…" the princess said.

"Come on, Komi!" Pluto pleaded, "Let's go. Pretty please?" he batted his eyes and gave her his attempt at the 'Puppy-Dog-Pout'. It sorta worked, but worked nonetheless.

"Okay! Let's go!" Blackfire hugged him.

"Alright! All aboard the T-Robo express!" Cyborg did a train whistle sound as he went into a door built into the robot's leg, Beast Boy followed after him. Blackfire and Pluto looked at each other.

"Ready to have some fun, Komi?" Pluto asked.

"Well…seeing robots bash each other up for sport. Hm…okay!" she and he flew into the door

They were in the cockpit and Blackfire looked around. "This looks like the inside of the T-Car, just more hi-tech."

"Well, it is the combination of the three main Titans vehicles," Cyborg told her as he manned the controls. "Okay, let's get ready to…" suddenly, there was a beep. The other three occupants stared at their green teammate. Beast Boy shrugged sheepishly.

"Sorry!" he took out the communicator and flipped the viewing screen open. There was Terra looking straight at him. "Terra? What up babe?"

"Don't 'what up babe' me!" she glared at him. "Did you forget what today is?"

Beast Boy scratched his head, "Um…"

"It's the anniversary of our first date!" she reminded him, crossing her arms.

Beast Boy slapped his forehead while the other three snickered, "Busted…"

"Okay! Terra! I'll make it up to you, okay?" Beast Boy said frantically. He turned to the others, "Get me a souvenir, okay?" he then ran out of the cockpit.

"Well," Cy cracked his knuckles, "Looks like it's just the 3 of us, huh?"

"Full speed ahead Cy!" Pluto grinned, "We're going to the Robot Rumble!"

The bot made its way to the launching platform and leaned itself against the rockets, allowing them to lock in place. Blackfire, Cyborg and Pluto did a final systems check.

"All main and back up oxygen and fuel tanks are full," Pluto checked.

"Defense and weapons systems are online," Blackfire checked.

"Radar, engines and controls are operational," Cyborg finished. Cyborg and Pluto then counted down.

"10…9…8…7…6…5…4…3…2…"

Blackfire was growing impatient, "Oh for X-Hal sakes!" she pressed the launch button, "LAUNCH!"

"Hey we weren't finished!" Pluto protested. But the hangar doors opened up and the rockets came to life, blowing out flames, sending the T-Robo flying out of the hangar. However, it wasn't without a few hitches.

* * *

Inside the Tower, it shook. Everyone inside panicked a bit. 

"Are we having an earthquake?" Jinx asked.

"I don't think so," Robin replied, "Hey, where are Terra, Beast Boy, Cyborg, Pluto and Blackfire?"

"Yes, I am curious to the whereabouts of our friends and my sister," Starfire wanted to know where they were too.

Draco looked out the window and his eyes bugged out of his skull, "Um guys? There's a giant robot flying out of the island." Usually, in normal circumstances, that would sound insane. However, for the Titans, ANYTHING was possible. The others then went to the windows and peaked out and that was when they saw the T-Robo leaving the island and flying out into the air and into outer space.

Jinx looked at the Titans, shocked, "You guys have a giant robot?"

"We got a giant robot?" Draco asked.

"We do. It was called the 'Titans Go-Bot 5, but decided to change it to the T-Robo instead," Robin answered. "Its components are the T-Ship, Cyborg's T-Car," he frowned, "And _my_ R-Cycle."

Jinx whispered into Draco's ear, "Possessive much?" Draco chuckled.

Soon, Shadow and Raven stepped into the room.

"Alright, why wasn't I told that we had a giant robot?" the Snake Knight asked. The Titans shrugged. "Let me guess, this has something to do with Cyborg and Pluto, right?"

"That looks like a possibility since they are not here," Starfire replied. "And it would seem neither my sister, nor Terra and Beast Boy, is here either."

Raven said suspiciously, "You don't think…?"

Suddenly, the large monitor turned on. On it were Cyborg, Blackfire and Pluto.

"Where are you going?" Robin demanded. "You guys left without authorization."

"Sorry, Robin," Cyborg apologized, while snickering, "It's just that we decided to take the T-Robo out on a test drive."

"And as for where we're going," Pluto added, "It's got something to do with robot and rumbles."

"We're going to the Robot Rumble Federation!" Blackfire yelled out. That was when the three cut off.

Shadow who had been drinking tea with Raven immediately choked on his drink. His eyes widened. "WHAT?"

* * *

Deep in space…the T-Robo was flying towards its destination. The 45 foot tall mech was flying through the dark blackness of space with the aid of the T-Ship's rockets. Inside were Cyborg, Pluto and Blackfire. 

Pluto checked the coordinates, but then made sure with his beloved girlfriend, "Um…Komi? Are you sure these coordinates are right? Because, my scanners show that there are a lot of black holes in this area in space."

Blackfire looked a bit sheepish, "Promise you guys won't be mad if I tell you guys the reason why?"

Cyborg narrowed his eyes, "Is there something we should know about?"

"Well…" Blackfire playes with her fingers, "Promise you guys won't be mad?"

"Blackfire…" Cyborg growled.

"The Robot Rumble Federation isn't exactly…legal," She finished. The T-Robo halted with a screech.

"WHAT?" Pluto and Cyborg exclaimed.

"Well, it's kinda like an underground robot fighting and gambling syndicate, nothing else," she laughed nervously.

"All right, that's it!" Cyborg said in finality, "We are turning this thing around!"

"Wait Cy!" Pluto stopped him, "Maybe…maybe we could just go anyway."

Cyborg looked at his friend in shock, "Dawg, have you gone completely insane?"

"Maybe…but don't you want to test how strong the T-Robo really is? Against the best of the best? If we became the top fighter, the T-Robo will be the most famous mech in all of the known cosmos."

"And get caught by the space police in the process?" Cyborg said incredulously.

Pluto shrugged, "Well, that's the price of fame, isn't it?"

"So, what do you say, Cyborg?" Blackfire asked, batting her eyes. Cyborg groaned.

"I can't believe I'm doing this," Cyborg said, "Let's go."

"Full speed ahead to the Robot Rumble!" Pluto barked.

* * *

Back on Earth, Titans Tower, Shadow was pacing back and forth in front of the other Titans. 

"I can't believe they went to fight in the R.R.F.!" and then he corrected himself, "Oh, I forgot who I was talking about here."

"What is the R.R.F.?" Robin asked.

"Is this R.R.F. a dangerous thing?" Starfire inquired fearfully.

Shadow took in a deep breath, "The R.R.F. is an illegal robot fighting and gambling syndicate. However, the federation has eluded the law for so many years. Most of the clientele are some of the most powerful individuals in the cosmic society…including some Deathtron officials and others," he added, "I also heard that the other competitors are not to be trifled with…you could, literally, be torn apart."

"So, if this thing is illegal, how come it hasn't been busted?" Draco asked.

"The place is so obvious that it's hidden," Shadow answered, "Ever read 'The Purloined Letter'? Well, it's a bit like that. The thing is right under your nose, it's hidden in plain and obvious sight, yet it's so obvious that no one would think to look in that place. Besides, it's in a quadrant in the galaxy filled with black holes. Too dangerous if you don't know how to maneuver yourself."

"So, they all went to fight giant alien robots?" Jinx asked.

"Yes, pretty much," Shadow nodded.

* * *

"There it is!" Blackfire pointed. Cyborg and Pluto looked into the viewing monitor and their jaws dropped. The station was HUGE, even bigger than the Tower. Heck, it looked like it was bigger than a planet…a small one, but the place was still huge. "What are you waiting for? Let's get in!" 

"Okay!" Pluto manned the controls and so did Cyborg. He turned to his cybernetic friend, "Ready to board, Cy?"

"You know I still think this is a bad idea, right?" Cyborg retorted.

"Oh, shut up and dock!" Blackfire snapped.

The T-Robo was maneuvered into one of the docking bays, the doors opening to allow the T-Robo entrance. Once it was inside, the doors closed and the airlock was on. The T-Robo landed and the three Titans stepped out of the robot…but not before…

"Beast Boy, Terra, you can come out now," Pluto said over his shoulder. The cargo hold door, which was really the trunk of the T-Car, swung open and Terra and Beast Boy rolled out. "Hello you two."

"Hey dudes," Beast Boy rubbed the back of his head. "Guys, I can explain…"

"You snuck on board with Terra to bring her along so that you can apologize for forgetting your anniversary," Cyborg finished.

"Yeah," Beast Boy chuckled nervously, "That's about it. How did you know I was in there?"

Pluto tapped his nose, "The nose knows."

Terra looked around, "Woah, look at this place." The five Titans stepped out of the T-Robo. Blackfire spread out her arms.

"Welcome to the R.R.F: Robot Rumble Federation!" Blackfire said proudly, "The only place in the universe where robots fight each other for sport!"

"Kewl!" Beast Boy exclaimed.

"Well, me and Cy are gonna go sign up," Pluto said to them, "Ready Cy?"

"I still have a bad feeling about this…but what the heck. Let's go dawg!" Cyborg and Pluto walked off to where they could sign up.

"Let's grab some tickets and some seats," Blackfire told Beast Boy and Terra, "I know this place, so we'll get the best seats in the house."

* * *

(Chairman's Office) 

Magnanimous looked a lot like a big head with small arms and legs. His whole body was covered in technological armor. He was seated at his desk, and watching through one of his security monitors. He groaned, "Of great, Earthers…"

* * *

Pluto and Blackfire went to sign up, and couldn't believe the size of the competition. All of the other robots were sentient and quite large. The bots looked at the two Titans with immense scrutiny as the two went to sign themselves up. The guy at the desk asked, "Name, place of origins?" he didn't even look up. 

Cyborg answered, "Cyborg and Pluto, Earth, and our mech's name is the T-Robo." The guy typed in their names.

"When your name is called, report to the arena," he told the two. Pluto and Cyborg looked surprised.

"Wow," Pluto blinked.

"That was easy," Cyborg added in agreement.

Beast Boy, Blackfire and Terra had gotten seats. There weren't too far back, nor too up front, just perfect to see all the action. The events were about to begin. A platform rose up and there on the pedestal was Magnanimous.

"Dudes, who's the giant talking head?" Beast Boy asked.

Blackfire shushed him and answered, "That's the chairman, Magnanimous."

"Greetings Robot Rumble fans!" Magnanimous' voice boomed, "We have a very exciting show for you tonight as mechs from all over the galaxy have come to compete to win the title of 'ROBOT RUMBLE CHAMPION'! So, without further ado, let's start the fights shall we?" the crowd cheered and shouted, "Okay! Let's get ready to rumble!"

There was the sound of a bell as a pair of robots rose up. One was blue and silver (Blue Bomber II) and the other was red and silver (Red Rocker II). They looked a lot like boxers. They fought, sending sparks and metal flying. The crowd was safe since there was a protective force field surrounding the large arena. The two bots made a final hit on one another, and there was a HUGE explosion. Both mechs were destroyed.

"Oh, too bad! Well, it's safe to say that those two won't be coming back!" Magnanimous joked, "Well now, well, it seems that we have an Earther here, or should I say two? Piloting the T-Robo from the good old planet Earth, Pluto and Cyborg and their mech the T-Robo!"

"Hey, Cy's coming!" Beast Boy exclaimed.

The T-Robo rose up and immediately the crowd booed. Pluto and Cyborg were inside of the mech and heard the booing.

"Nice crowd, huh?" Cyborg asked, sounding a little sarcastic.

"You hang out with Raven way too much," Pluto remarked.

"And his opponent, all the way from Cluster Prime, the one, the only, the most feared mech in all of the cosmos, THE CRUSHERNATOR!"

"Oh…" Blackfire began, eyes wide.

"…My…" Beast Boy's eyes bugged out.

"…God!" Terra's jaw dropped.

The Crushernator was nearly a head taller than the T-Robo. It was a large and bulky green, red and yellow mech with spiked shoulder pads, kneepads and hand guards. The head held a pair of large horns and there seemed to be blasters hidden in the wrists. It was also nearly twice the width of the T-Robo.

"Oh crud," Beast Boy gulped.

"Don't worry, Gar, they'll do just fine," Terra assured her boyfriend before whispering to Blackfire, "They're doomed, aren't they?"

"To be honest, yeah," Blackfire nodded.

Pluto and Cyborg looked at their opponent and cracked their knuckles.

"The Cluster, huh?" Pluto grinned, "Oh, I have a fist ready for this guy."

"Issues?" Cyborg asked.

"Back when I was recruiting Jenny, these Cluster guys kept attacking, so forgive me for holding a grudge," he held the controls, "But I ain't sorry. Cy, you control the T-Robo's movements while I man the weapons controls."

"You sure we can win this?" Cyborg asked.

"We can….AND WE WILL!" Pluto barked.

Magnanimous rang the bell, "Begin!"

The Crushernator roared and charged at the T-Robo. The T-Robo ducked under a vicious swipe before delivering a powerful uppercut that sent the opponent reeling. The T-Robo then grabbed the Crushernator by the head and begin spinning around.

Pluto sang, "Round and round the way he goes! Where he stops, heck, how should I know?"

The T-Robo let go and the Crushernator crashed right into the wall. It got back up and roared, revealing the weapon it had in its back. It was a large particle beam cannon.

"HOLY CRAP!" Beast Boy yelped.

"They're goners…" Terra said mournfully.

Pluto shouted out, "ZODIAC FORCE OF THE DOG!" he transformed into his Zodiac Knight form.

Cyborg yelled, "What are you doing?"

"Interfacing!" Pluto placed his hands on the controls and allowed his nanobots to seep in. "We might be able to win!"

"I'm happy just getting out of this alive!"

"Just wait for my signal and jump as high as you can!" Pluto eyes narrowed, "If I'm right, that thing needs a whole 5 minutes to recharge after the first shot."

The charged particle cannon charged up, absorbing the ions in the area. Cyborg and Pluto tensed up, their hands on the controls.

"Wait for it…" Pluto then saw the flash. "NOW!" Cyborg pushed down the controls and the T-Robo leapt away from the beams path. Pluto then manned the weapon controls. "EAT SONIC CANNON!" he pressed a button marked 'sonic cannon'. The T-Robo's right arm transformed into a sonic cannon, similar to Cyborg's. The blue beam of sonic energy shot out and blew right THROUGH the Crushernator. The T-Robo then grabbed the enemy mech's head, spun it around, and then threw him into the air, where it then crashed onto the arena floor.

There was deafening silence. It was so silent that you could hear a pin drop from light years away.

Suddenly, the entire audience erupted with cheers and applauds, which, Beast Boy, Terra and Blackfire joined in. The T-Robo clasped its hands together and shook them in an appreciative manner.

"They love us!" Pluto grinned.

"My baby is da bomb!" Cyborg shouted out as the two hi-fived.

Magnanimous announced, "What an upsetting turn of events! It would seem that the Terran mech has defeated the Crushernator! Well, the winner is…the T-ROBO!"

There was another eruption of cheers.

"Well, let's see how the T-Robo does against the next challenger," Magnanimous continued.

* * *

(15 matches later…) 

"AND THE WINNER IS…THE T-ROBO!"

* * *

(Later…) 

"MAN! THIS IS AWESOME!" Beast Boy shouted out.

"Gar, calm down…" Terra soothed her boyfriend.

The 5 Titans were eating at the food court. Cyborg and Pluto ate and relaxed.

"Man, this place has a food generator like the one on that Gaijoan shuttle," Pluto said as he enjoyed his t-bone steak.

"Yeah dawg!" Cyborg was munching on his burger.

"Well, you guys need to recharge for the next match. But I'm not worried," Blackfire said, "15 matches and still undefeated."

"We cleaned house, didn't we, Cy?" Pluto said to his friend.

"Dawg, you just took the words right out of my mouth!" Cyborg laughed.

The 5 Titans then laughed out in mirth. The PA then called, "Would Cyborg and Pluto please report to the Chairman's office?"

Pluto and Cyborg stood up and wiped their mouths "Well, it looks like he wants to congratulate us personally," Pluto stated. "Let's go Cy."

"Maybe we should come with," Blackfire sounded worried.

"Don't worry, Blackfire," Pluto assured his girlfriend, giving her a kiss. "We'll be okay."

* * *

Cyborg and Pluto stepped into Magnanimous' office. The chairman sat behind his deck. 

"Welcome, gentleman!" Magnanimous smiled broadly. Pluto and Cyborg took their seats across him.

"So, what do you want? An autograph?" Pluto joked. Cyborg smacked him upside the head.

Magnanimous laughed, "No. But I do need to ask you two fine Robot Rumblers a favor."

"Name it," Cyborg wanted him to go on.

"I want you…to lose."

Both Pluto and Cyborg went silent.

"You want us to…" Pluto began.

"…throw the fight?" Cyborg continued.

"…And lose on purpose?" the two Titans finished togethrt.

Magnanimous nodded and smirked, "You see, I got a lot of money betted against you…so if you lose, I win, you can go home, everybody wins."

"Except us," Pluto analyzed.

"So? You'll be properly compensated after you lose," Magnanimous then threatened, "Just remember to lose…"

Pluto and Cyborg stood up and exited the office. The doors slid close.

"That dirty, lying, cheating…" Pluto growled, seething with irritation and anger.

"Slimeball?" Cyborg supplied.

"Yeah, thanks Cy. A slimeball," Pluto agreed. "Now what? Throw the fight?"

The PA announced, "Will Cyborg, Pluto and the T-Robo please report to the Arena?"

Pluto took a deep breath and so did Cyborg, "It's our call."

* * *

The T-Robo was in the arena, its opponent a large robot that looked like an octopus with humanoid arms and legs…and spiked tentacles with who knows what in them. 

Beast Boy, Blackfire and Terra were at the edge of their seats, eager to see their boys win.

"GO CY! GO PLUTES!" Beast Boy shouted through cup hands, "YOU DA MEN!"

"WIN IT FOR THE TEAM!" Terra whooped.

"SHOW THEM WHO'S THE LEADER OF THE PACK!" Blackfire shouted, waving her arms in the air.

Pluto and Cyborg, inside the T-Robo, took in deep breaths.

"Ready Cy?" Pluto asked as his faceplate and visor slid close.

"Ready as I'll ever be," Cyborg hands were on the controls, "Let's do this…"

T-ROBO VS TENTACULA!

Tentacula launched its tentacles at the T-Robo, ensnaring the Titans' mech in a submission hold. The T-Robo's hand gripped the tentacles and dug its feet into the ground. Tentacula then lifted up and swung the T-Robo around and around like a merry go round.

Pluto groaned, "I'm gonna be sick…" his face turned green from normal.

"Hold on!" Cyborg hollered, turning on the thrusters.

The rockets in the legs started up, shooting out flames. They spun in the opposite direction and flew circles around the tentacled mech. When they were done, Tentacula was tied up in its own tentacles.

Pluto asked, grinning, "Weren't we supposed to throw the fight?"

"Who cares what that overgrown headcase says?" Cyborg returned the grin, "Think of the fans…"

"Oh, the poor fans…" Pluto pretended to cry, "Well, let's give them what they want!"

The T-Robo pulled out one of the tentacles and Tentacula began spinning around on its axis like a spinning top.

"LIGHTS OUT! TITANS STYLE!" Pluto and Cyborg shouted as one as the T-Robo's fist sent Tentacula crashing into the wall.

"WINNER…T-ROBO!" Magnanimous announced. He then muttered under his breath, and grumbled in a disgruntled tone, "Lousy earthborn apes…"

Blackfire and Terra hugged each other as Beast Boy jumped up and down, waving his arms up and around.

"We're so getting busted…" Pluto rested himself in his chair.

"Who cares…no way am I going to throw a fight," Cyborg said to his partner.

The monitor in their cockpit lit up to show Magnanimous' face, "You shouldn't have done that…" Magnanimous growled. It was plain and clear that he was pissed off.

"Well, whaddya gonna do?" Pluto goaded.

"Look up," Magnanimous pointed.

The T-Robo's head looked up and there on the roof hung a rectangular cage, surrounded by a force field. On closer inspection…the cage contained.

"BB! TERRA!" Cyborg shouted in shock.

"KOMI!" Pluto howled.

Suddenly, a large device rose up in the centre of the arena. In the middle of the large contraption, at the top, was swirling black vortex.

"I never leave home without my Quantum Singularity Generator. And, if you Earthlings don't know what that is…"

Pluto interrupted, "It's like a portable black hole, but with a more complex and cooler name." He sounded bored.

Magnanimous coughed, "Okay, so you do know what it is, and you know what will happen if I drop your friends in."

Cyborg growled, trying to refrain himself from punching Magnanimous in the face, "What do you want?"

"I…want…you…to…" Magnanimous said slowly. There was a sudden rumbling as a panel in the floor swung open. Something large was coming out of the floor. It was a large mech, ten times the size of the T-Robo and armed to the teeth with laser blasters, concussion blasters, missile launchers and cannons all over. Where the head should be…was Magnanimous himself. "TO FIGHT ME!"

Blackfire, Terra and Beast Boy's eyes widened as their jaws dropped.

"Holy shit," Pluto cursed. Cyborg was too stunned to say anything.

"Goodbye Eartlings!" Magnanimous swung out his fist and it smashed into the T-Robo, hard, sending it crashing into the wall. That hit had damaged the T-Robo so heavily, and it didn't look it was going to move anytime soon. The caged Titans shouted out in anger and fear.

Pluto was conscious, but Cyborg wasn't. The last hit had completely knocked out the bionic teen. Pluto pulled himself and Cyborg out of the wrecked T-Robo and the Knight lay his friend down on a safe spot.

Pluto looked up and saw his friends trapped in a cage, hanging over a Quantum Singularity (a big fancy word for portable black hole). There in front of him was Magnanimous and he was attached to a LARGE robot body. The T-Robo was scrapped and Cyborg was knocked out. Not good.

"Oh crud," Pluto groaned. Magnanimous blasted at the Knight with missiles and the Knight leapt out of the way.

"Remember, dog boy, if you want to save your friends, you got to lose this fight!" Magnanimous laughed.

"Oh…" Pluto drew his sword, but when he saw his friends, he sheathed his blade. Magnanimous then swung his GIGANTIC fists down upon the Dog Knight of Immortality. Pluto didn't even dodge as the large fists came crashing down on him.

"PUPPY!" Blackfire cried out in horror. She tried to break the bars, but they were too strong. And, even if Beast Boy could, there was a force field surrounding the cage so even if he morphed into a fly…he couldn't get out.

"He's okay…" Beast Boy assured her, but he wasn't sure either.

Magnanimous lifted his fists and in a crater was Pluto, sprawled out on his back. The Dog Knight sat up and shook his head. His armor was a little cracked but still holding.

Terra shouted, "Forget about us! Beat this guy!"

"I can't!" Pluto yelled back, "If I do, you die! I have to throw this fight…"

"How do you know he's even gonna let us go dude?" Beast Boy asked.

"I don't…but I can't take that chance," Pluto stood up on his own two feet.

"How noble of you…" Magnanimous said mockingly, aiming a cannon at Pluto, "On second thought…maybe I should just get rid of your friends right now."

Pluto howled, "YOU PROMISE!"

"Hello? I'm evil! You think I actually keep my promises?" Magnanimous aimed the cannon at the hanging cage. "Goodbye…Terrans…"

"NO!" Pluto howled and turned his arms into cannons and fired two concentrated electrical blasts that zapped Magnanimous and pushed him back.

Magnanimous growled, "You shouldn't have done that…now your friends are dead!"

"I DON'T THINK SO!" Pluto concentrated and levitated Magnanimous with the power of the Rooster. The large evil mech rose up 10 feet into the air before he was smashed into the wall, ceiling and floor, over and over again. Relentlessly, Pluto threw the guy around like a ragdoll, but Magnanimous countered by firing several concussion missiles that slammed into Pluto and broke the Dog Knight's concentration.

"DIE TERRANS!" Magnanimous roared. Pluto's cape detached from his armored back and transformed into Darkwing. The bat flew up and above Magnanimous' head, clawing at the guy with its sharp talons. Magnanimous smacked the annoying bat away and Darkwing fell to the floor, before Magnanimous smashed his foot upon it.

Pluto shouted out, "DARKWING!" the bat screeched weakly, but still alive, connected to Pluto's power of Immortality. Pluto growled, "You shouldn't have done that…" his fists clenched and shivered. "You…you…"

"What the matter…? Did I hurt your little pet?" Magnanimous taunted mockingly, "Well, do something about it. I dare ya!"

Pluta growled, electrical sparks and bolts flowing all over his body. He stood up and reached his deck and drew a card…the card glowed…Pluto didn't even look at it before he slid it into his sword.

**"EVOLUTION!" **

There was a bright flash of blue light, forcing everyone, even Magnanimous, to shield their eyes. Cyborg slowly woke up and his eyes widened. He checked his scanners to see that he wasn't just seeing things and sat there in shock. "Ho boy…"

Pluto began to change as ALL his cards flew out of his deck and flew into his body. Darkwing turned back into a card and did the same, absorbed into its Knight's armor. The silver parts of his armor, mainly the chest plate, visor and faceplate, turned gold. His black armor, gauntlets and boots, turned into a shining sapphire color, with golden trimmings on his gauntlets and boots. The navy blue bodysuit under his armor also changed color, matching the armor as golden Excel Energy Streams showed up on his sleeves and legs. Cyberdog, which had been inside the T-Robo, flew out and attached itself to Pluto's back. Blue electrical energy flew around and crackled all over the Dog Knight's body.

"ZODIAC KNIGHT PLUTO: CYBER MODE!" Pluto announced, standing proud and tall in his sleek sapphire and golden armor.

Magnanimous smirked, "Impressive light show, BUT THAT WON'T SAVE YOU!" he aimed his ammo, locking onto his target, and fired EVERYTHING! The missiles and lasers smashed into Pluto. There was a huge explosion that shook the arena and a dust cloud where Pluto once stood. The Titans' eyes widened.

"PLUTO! NO!" Blackfire sobbed, "No…"

"He can't be…he can't be dead…" Beast Boy cried. One of his best friends had just bitten the dust. Terra also cried.

Cyborg wiped the tears that were welling up. His scanner beeped. He checked it and was shocked at the readings. The readings read that…Pluto…was…ALIVE!

The dust cloud cleared and Pluto was okay. An electrical energy field had protected him from the powerful blast.

"PLUTO! YOU'RE OKAY!" Beast Boy hollered.

Pluto stated, "Hey, I'm not called the Zodiac Knight of Immortality for nothing!" He saluted and waved to them.

"KICK THAT GUY'S ASS!" Blackfire shouted.

"FOR US!" Terra yelled.

Pluto looked up and drew out his DOG-Phone. Magnanimous laughed, "What are you gonna do with that little piece of primitive Earthen technology? Talk me to death?"

"No," Pluto attached it to Cyberdog, "Shoot you." Cyberdog's head mounted itself on Pluto's right shoulder and opened its mouth as it beeped and flashed. "Slicer Blast!" It fired a concentrated energy beam that cut right through Magnanimous' arm. The arm fell with a loud thud before blowing up. Now there was a stump where the arm was. Magnanimous was shocked to silence. "What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?"

Magnanimous let out a roar and charged at Pluto. Pluto activated the jets in Cyberdog and flew up to avoid the metal giant's assault of furious swings with its single arm. He flew around, buzzing around Magnanimous like an annoying fly. "STAY STILL!" Magnanimous roared angrily, "STAY STILL SO I CAN HIT YOU!"

"No can do!" Pluto proceeded to zap at Magnanimous with his lightning. He then shot out a large lightning ball that shocked some of Magnanimous' systems.

"THEN YOUR FRIENDS DIE!" Magnanimous fired and shot at the chain holding the cage. The cage fell and the Titans screamed, but nothing happened. Why? Answer: Pluto was gently levitating it down. Cyborg went over and freed the Titans (The force field only worked if the chain was unbroken). Magnanimous growled in anger. He had never been so humiliated in his life. This must've been how his brother felt when he was defeated by that idiot Coop. "I'LL KILL YOU! I'LL KILL YOU ALL!"

"I DON'T THINK SO!" Pluto barked. He catapulted high into the air, his jetpack providing extra life, and executed his finishing attack, the flying kick known only as, "NANOBREAKER!" Pluto fired a LARGE sapphire energy drill from his feet that pinned Magnanimous to the wall. Immobilized, the villainous chairman was about to meet his end in a flash of blue fire. Pluto's extended foot glowed with blue orbs that started to flame up. His nanobots were actually increasing the power and effectiveness of the attack.

Pluto rocketed forward and smashed right THROUGH the villain, going through circuits and wiring, before exploding out the other end. Magnanimous erupted like a volcano and let out a loud boom and a powerful shockwave that shook the arena. The evil chairman was then sent flying into the Quantum Singularity. The audiences were silent. This eerie silence went on for a few seconds…AND THE CROWD WENT WILD!!!

Pluto flew back down and the Titans took centre stage. Beast Boy was taking all the cheers as his own, even though they were for Pluto. "THEY LOVE US!" Pluto turned to the other Titans, "Let's go home." He went over to the T-Robo and extended his hand, allowing the nanobots to fly out in a cloud of blue orbs that enveloped the large robot. It took only a few seconds for the nanobots to do their jobs and to return to Pluto, leaving the T-Robo as good as new. Blackfire went over to him, pulled off his helmet, and planted a kiss on his lips. They boarded the T-Robo and launched themselves home.

* * *

When they got home, they received an earful from Robin and Shadow, but it was all worth it…check out the huge golden R.R.F. Championship belt hanging on the garage wall (Blackfire swiped it from Magnanimous' office before they left the joint.) 

Speaking of Magnanimous, wonder what ever happened to that guy?

* * *

Magnanimous floated inside the Quantum Singularity, grumbling, "I hate Earthlings…" 

To Be Continued…

Don't forget to Review, okay?


	90. PT090: Team Mystic in Jump City

Part 90: Team Mystic in Jump City

Both Robin and Shadow were alone in the Snake Knight's room/office. They were both seated, face to face. Robin was reading through a file folder.

"You sure about this, Shadow?" Robin questioned his co-leader. Even though Shadow was third in command, he was a reliable and competent leader who would and could pick up the slack if either Cyborg or himself were down, "I mean…these people, are you sure about them?"

"Robin, I have taken the time to get to know them on a personal level and I do not make any hasty conclusions when choosing my candidates, despite the public's view of them," Shadow answered.

"I know…but Danny Phantom and XJ-9?" Robin frankly didn't trust the two. From all the stories he has heard, the two were a menace to society. "Danny Phantom is Public Ghost Enemy No. 1 and XJ-9 is a robot with tremendous destructive power…"

"Danny Phantom WAS Public Ghost Enemy No. 1, until I fixed the problem and Jenny just needed a little more guidance. I suppose that the training she received was sufficient enough," Shadow said. "Besides, they helped us out back on Gaijo, didn't they?"

"But Phantom…"

"Batman was also considered a menace, not too long ago, but he was able to gain the trust and confidence of the public. Back when he began as a vigilante, he was considered a dangerous criminal, despite all the good he did. It took a long time but he soon gained the trust of the public and police," Shadow stated. "So, regardless of what you've heard, Phantom is no villain. I should know; I personally recruited him."

"You did?" Robin was skeptical. From all the stories he heard of Phantom…but all the negative publicity had died down a year ago and the only resources he had were old newspaper clippings. He flipped through the folder again and came upon the two last members, a pair of Chinese teens, "But what about these two? The American Dragon and the Te Xuan Ze? Why haven't I heard of them before?"

Shadow sighed. Robin was a good detective, he gave him that, but sometimes he was far too suspicious and paranoid, "The American Dragon and Te Xuan Ze work in secret, away from the public eye. That is why you never heard of them. However, Smart Brain has ties to The Order and because of that we know about them. Though they are young, but their skills and experiences have helped them mature."

"You trust them that much?" Robin asked.

"I trust them with my life Robin…and my roses," Shadow joked at the end.

The reason for this little meeting was because the Titans were all going on a weekend vacation, a REAL vacation, hopefully where nothing exciting would happen and they could just relax. The last few times they tried to have a vacation, they ended up getting interrupted with plots, conspiracies, agendas and demon attacks. This time all the Titans were going to spend the weekend at a Ski Resort and Spa. It was somewhere close to the mountains where it snowed all year round. After all they've been through; the Titans earned it, really, after all the insanity.

Anyway, Shadow had suggested that it would be Team Mystic who would be watching the city while they were away. Shadow knew the members would be reluctant to leave their hometowns, but some of the operatives and Smartroopers would help keep their hometowns safe upon their absence. Also, some of their other allies would watch their homes for them.

Also, this would be the first official mission of Team Mystic as a team. After their training, they were sent back home, with only their cell phones to communicate with one another. This would be a good learning experience.

Also, Shadow was absolutely sure that nothing would happen to his roses if Team Mystic were around. They knew how much he valued his roses and he knew how much they valued their lives.

Now, all Shadow needed was Robin's OK.

Robin looked through the folder again, checking it again for parts he missed. Nodding a few times, he looked up and sad to Shadow, "Just for the weekend, right?"

"Two days…tops," Shadow said, emphasizing with two of his fingers.

Robin sighed, "Ok…but I want the team to meet them too."

Shadow smiled, "I wouldn't want it any other way."

* * *

(Later…)

June, Jenny, Danny and Jake were in a Smart Brain chopper, flying over Jump City. Its destination was, in fact, Titans Tower.

"The Teen Titans," Jenny sighed, "My dream come true."

"Easy there Jenny," June said to her, "Try not to get your head in the clouds."

"You have to admit, June, that the all of us meeting the Titans, ALL of the Titans, is like a miracle," Jake ran his hand through his hair, "How's my hair?" June giggled and kissed her boyfriend on the cheek. He was silly and she loved him for it.

"Look alive guys, cause we're about to land," Danny said.

The four members of Team Mystic were clad in their SB uniforms (black jumpsuits with their individual emblems and color coded gloves, boots, kneepads, shoulder pads and elbow pads). They would have to hide their identities somehow while working the city so that they could blend in whilst in civilian mode. Jenny still had on her holo-disguise, but had it modify her appearance so that she had blue hair (her normal 'hair' color), instead of the set red hair. She just looked more…exotic with blue hair.

The chopper slowly descended upon the helipad atop the T-shaped Tower. The Titans were waiting for them and shielded their eyes from the dust being blown in their faces by the chopper's propeller.

Danny, June, Jenny and Jake stepped out of the chopper. Shadow stepped up and saluted them. The four members of Team Mystic saluted back.

"State your codenames and designation numbers," Shadow commanded.

"Phantom! SB-378!"

"XJ-9! SB-959!"

"Te Xuan Ze! SB-899!"

"American Dragon! SB-263!"

"Who are you?" Shadow asked in a commanding voice.

"WE ARE TEAM MYSTIC!" the four shouted together. Shadow smiled. At least they were acting like a well organized team…now.

The Titans applauded and Starfire flew forward before Robin had the chance to say anything.

"New friends!" she squealed gleefully, "Tell me, what are your names, where are you from, what is your favorite color and will you be my friend?"

The four teens were stunned. They did not expect a welcome like this. Of course, Jake tried to be suave and smooth.

"Hey, I'm Jake Long, from the Big Apple, I like red and sure I'll be your friend," he grinned and winked at her. June scowled and pulled him back by the ear.

Starfire was a little confused at Jake's answer regarding where he came from, "You came…from an apple?"

Robin clarified for her, "It's another name for New York, Star."

"Oh, like when we call Hollywood ' Tinsel Town'?" Starfire asked. Robin nodded.

June, wanting to be nice, answered, "I'm Juniper Lee, but my friends call me June, I come from Orchid Bay, I like purple and sure." She smiled.

Jenny introduced herself and dropped her holographic disguise, "Hi, I'm Jenny Wakeman, I come from Tremorton, my favorite color is blue and okay!"

Finally, Danny introduced himself, "Danny Fenton, I come from Amity Park (the most haunted place in America), my favorite color is green and yeah, why not?"

Robin looked between Jenny and Danny. He still couldn't shake off the feeling of distrust, but they were clean, despite the things that were said about them. He went over and introduced himself and the rest of the Titans, "Well, I'm Robin. I bet you already know Draco, Pluto, Shadow, Blackfire, Raven and Jinx, so I'll introduce you to Cyborg, Beast Boy, Terra and Starfire, who introduced herself already."

"What's up little robot lady?" Cyborg greeted Jenny.

"Just fine," Jenny still felt a little giddy with meeting the Titans in person.

"Hey, you really THE Danny Phantom?" Beast Boy asked Danny.

Danny smiled, "Definitely."

Draco knocked fists with Jake, "Good luck, Am-Drag!"

Jake grinned, "And you too…" he winked and Draco was confused at what his younger draconic friend meant. "Peace out!"

Pluto and Jenny hugged. Blackfire growled, but let it slide since they were good friends. Besides, Jenny was a robot, so she had nothing to worry about.

"Do your best, Jenny," Pluto said to the teenaged robot.

"Sure thing, Plutes," Jenny kissed him on the cheek and then Blackfire, growling, tugged him by the ear.

Shadow addressed both June and Danny, "I hope you do your best at guarding the city. I also hope you have other costumes ready to keep your identities safe."

June said, "I could always wear a mask or something."

"And I have my ghost mode," Danny told him, demonstrating by "Going Ghost!" transforming into his ghost mode with the sweeping white rings. Shadow and Danny shook hands. The Knight of Invisibility then pulled out a long folded list and gave it to Danny.

"These are the list of things to do and not do. There is also a list of the villains you should watch out for. These are only names so you can use the computers to check for their pictures and bios," Shadow informed. Robin went up and stood next to Shadow, scrutinizing Danny.

"What?" Danny asked.

"Weren't you known as 'Inviso-Bill, Public Ghost Enemy Number 1'?" Robin asked. Shadow rolled his eyes and Danny groaned.

"Those charges were dropped and my rep's all clean," Danny explained.

"I don't know…" Robin muttered.

"Robin, what did I tell you?" Shadow said to Robin sternly. Robin sighed.

Robin extended his hand, "Welcome aboard." Danny took it and they shook hands.

"Thanks," Danny smiled. Robin then walked away.

Shadow defended Robin by saying, "Don't mind him. He was raised by Batman and I think the bat's rubbing off on him. He doesn't trust new people much, but his bark is worse than his bite." Danny nodded in understanding. Shadow then whispered, "I think I know where I can find Danielle." Danny eyes widened.

Danielle "Danni" Fenton was a distant relative of Danny. She also had ghost powers and went under the alias 'Danni Phantom'. Actually, she was an imperfect clone of Danny that was created to defeat Danny. Her creator was Vlad Masters/Plasmius. However, she realized that Vlad had only been using her and so she left…never to be seen again. She suffered the same inflictions of the 'Ultimen' and her genetic structure was unstable and slowly deteriorating. It had been months since the last Danny saw her and, truth be told, he was worried for her. What had happened to her?

"Danni? Where is she?" Danny asked softly.

"I'm not sure, but I received a message from my brother, Devlin,"

Kyoichiro Devlin Amakusa, but preferred to be called Devlin or Dev, was the younger brother of Shadow and Moon. He was the youngest of the three Amakusa children, only 14, but had an ambition to be a hero. Since their parents were a vampire (father) and an angel (mother), I would seem that ALL the kids should be Vampangels right?

Wrong.

It would seem that Moon was half angel and half human (with a little vampire) and Devlin was half vampire and half human (with a little angel). Shadow, the middle child, was the prophesized Vampangel and the only one in existence. The reason for this will be further explained in the future.

"Devlin has been traveling a lot and from the letters, he seemed to have come across a girl matching Danielle's description," Shadow said to Danny. Danny wanted so much to see his clone…cousin okay and well.

"Where is she?" Danny asked impatiently.

"She's fine, at least based on the letters Devlin sent me. Somehow, he was able to stabilize Danielle's genetic structure. Also…" he whispered into Danny's ear. Danny's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates and his jaw dropped down with a 'thunk'! Shadow stepped back and looked at Danny's expression and rolled his eyes.

"It's not like it was never going to happen, Daniel," Shadow said to the halfa. "I mean, my little brother is a good person."

"But they're…they're…da…" Danny couldn't finish the sentence.

"Don't worry about that right now. Just take care of the city for us. I'll take care of this myself…" Shadow smirked, "Just expect 2 more additions to the team…"

The three Knights summoned up their three Z-Fliers (Storm Chopper, Darkwinger and Stealth Stinger) and the Titans boarded. Raven boarded Shadow's jet. Pluto and Blackfire boarded the Darkwinger. Finally, Draco shared his chopper with Jinx. The rest of the Titans boarded the T-Ship. Their luggage had also been loaded.

Starfire waved, "Please take care of my bumgorf, Silkie!"

"And keep my roses safe," Shadow continued.

"And STAY OUT of my room," Raven finished threateningly.

And with that the 4 vehicles launched into the air, leaving Team Mystic on the roof, waving goodbye.

* * *

( Titans Tower, interior, living room)

Jake plopped himself down onto the couch and rested his arms behind his head while plopping his feet up on the coffee table. "Man, check out this place!" he looked around, "The Titans have a sweet crib yo!"

"I agree," Jenny went over to the computers, "Flat panel computer displays, an advanced and daily upgradeable security system…"

"And free cable!" Jake turned on the TV, "Not to mention the biggest dang TV I've ever seen! And a Gamestation! Cool!"

"Okay guys, we're here to work not take a vacation," Danny said to them, sounding all leader-like. Jake rolled his eyes and put on his red mask and June had on a purple mask.

"Chill dude! It's not like a villain is gonna pop up right in the living room!" Jake said nonchalantly.

Murphy's Law: Be careful of what you say…it may just happen.

Suddenly, there was a flash of light and a zap of lightning and suddenly there was a villain…Oh, it was just Control Freak…don't panic.

Danny said to Jake, "You were saying?" Jake shrugged.

"Greetings Titans! Your arch-nemesis Control Freak is…" the pudgy bad guy then noticed Team Mystic, "Hey, who are you guys?" Team Mystic was still surprised by his sudden appearance.

And thus, began, the introduction.

"We're Team Mystic!"

"The American Dragon!"

"XJ-9!"

"Te Xuan Ze!"

"And Danny Phantom!"

Control Freak had a blank look on his face, "Never heard of you."

The four teens loomed over him, angrily. "Never heard of us, yo? And just who are YOU supposed to be?" Jake asked, slightly irritated.

Control Freak took out a quadruple bladed lightsaber and began swinging it around to make his intro, "I am Control Freak! The Titans most dangerous foe! I am the master of television and all its forms! And I have come to challenge…THE TITANS!"

And thus, as seen on For Real, his rant and speech or whatever…

"Robin, Teen Wonder! Cyborg, half man and half machine marvel! Beast Boy, shape shifter extraordinaire! Raven, mistress of magic! Starfire, alien powerhouse! (She's too good for Robin) Terra, blonde earthmover! Shadowcobra, master of the shadows! Draco, fire manipulating master! Pluto, technological guru and sword master! Jinx, mistress of bad luck! And Blackfire…Starfire's sister and a bigger alien powerhouse! (I hate to admit it, but she's so much better than Star…and sexier…) Chibi Jake's head popped up and he agreed, nodding, before Chibi June pulled him by the ear, growling.

"You sound more like a fanboy than a 'nemesis'," Danny said, munching on some popcorn. Jenny was drinking a can of oil while Jake and June stared at him bemusedly. They were all sitting on the couch as they listened to Control Freak rant.

Control Freak's eyes darted, sweating nervously, "Well…uh…all great villains do research on their foes…"

"And if you're such a bad dude…" Jake began as he read through the Titans' list, "Why isn't your name on the list?"

"What?" Control Freak grabbed the list, "Let see…list of notorious villains. Slade, Cinderblock, Plasmus, Johnny Rancid…The Puppet King?" he threw down the list and exclaimed, "They only fought him ONCE! I'm a recurring villain!" he then walked over to the team, mostly Jake. "So…are you like the Robin of this team?" Control Freak was referring to the mask Jake was wearing.

"I'm team leader!" Danny stood up and grabbed Control Freak by the collar, "And you're going to jail." Control Freak slipped out of Danny's grip.

"Oh no! I came for the Titans, but since you're all here…" his hi-tech backpack with the three monstrous remotes popped out of no where, "You'll do just fine!" He began his attack.

"Team, scatter!" Danny shouted, but got caught in an energy bubble.

"I made that bubble to trap Starfire and Blackfire. Beat that!" Control Freak mocked.

Danny Phantom turned intangible and phased out of the bubble. Control Freak's eyes widened, "How'd you do that?"

"I'm called 'Phantom' for a reason!" Danny said to him, firing an ecto-blast, sending Control Freak flying. June went to punch Control Freak's lights out, but got trapped in a cage of some sort.

"This cage is made out of pure adamantium! Strongest metal on Earth! You can't break through it!" Control Freak said to June. June rolled her eyes and from a pouch in her belt, pulled out a vial that she popped open and poured the contents on the bars. She cracked her knuckles and pulled the bars, as if they were rubber, and she slipped out. Control Freak's jaw dropped.

"Magic potions do the charm!" June grinned.

"How about you?" Control Freak pointed to Jenny and took out some magnetic de-stabilizers, "These should teach you, robot!" He chucked them at her. Jenny quickly activated her SB-Watch and the devices bounced off and Control Freak jumped out of the way.

"My turn," Jake stepped out. Control Freak tried another gadget, "This was made specifically to neutralize Draco's fire power, American Dragon!" Jake rolled his eyes and then changed into his dragon form with a shout of, "Dragon Up!" Control Freak dropped the gadget in shock. He then reached into his pocket and pulled out his remote.

"I don't have time for this! You suck!" Control Freak zapped himself out. Jake reverted to human form and the team scratched their heads.

As they were cleaning up, they discussed about Control Freak.

"What kind of a villain zaps himself out of a fight?" Jenny asked.

"A lame one, dudette," Jake said, yawning.

"Anyway, he's out of our hair, so we did our job, right?" June said. In her arms was Silkie. She cooed at the little mutant silkworm. Danny was at the computers.

"No, we still have a villain on the loose," Danny said to them. Suddenly, the monitor came on. On the screen was Shadow.

"I'm getting reports that there was an attack in the Tower. Is anything wrong?" the Snake Knight asked. He was already in black ski clothes. In the background, you could see Beast Boy roll by in a giant snowball and being chased by Draco and Terra.

Jake answered, absentmindedly, "We were having problems with Control-" Danny bumped him away and interrupted.

"…Controlling Silkie! He's eating everything in sight!" Danny lied. He then scolded Silkie, "Bad Silkie!" he put on an innocent smile. Shadow raised an eyebrow.

"That strange…I remember that Starfire packed up enough food for him." He smiled, "I'm glad that you're all doing okay. Well, see you in two days. Goodbye!" Shadow signed off.

"Hey, what's with you?" Jake demanded, referring to Danny's lie.

"Look, Jake," Danny said as he put on a pale blue visor, "The Titans, mostly Shadow, are trusting us with this and we can't tell them that we had problems with a two-bit bad guy. Besides, it's not like we can't handle him or anything…"

Oh…Danny. You're underestimating your opponents.

Suddenly, there was an alert and Team Mystic rushed to the scene. It was Jump City's Bank of Perez.

* * *

The foursome arrived at the scene, Danny was leading the way.

"Don't go in there," warned a little old lady, "Wait for the Titans."

"We can handle this ma'am," Danny said to her and the team ran in.

A masked man in a white unitard and grey snowcap was planting explosives on the safe. This was Andre Le'Blanc. Strapped to his body was his gear, in a leather belt and a sash combo. He then noticed the Team Mystic.

"You have come to stop moi! I do not think so!" Le'Blanc did some stupid Kung Fu moves and charged at the four teens. Jake smiled and allowed his girlfriend to handle this guy. June nodded and proceeded to beat the crud out of the guy with a roundhouse kick and an uppercut. Le'Blanc then tried throwing dynamite at them, but Jenny grabbed the sticks and defused them. Le'Blanc, defeated, was then escorted by the police.

"With the Titans out of town, I though I had a shot…" Le'Blanc whined.

"Hey, don't forget that we're Team Mystic, yo!" Jake said boastfully.

"Don't we get any credit?" Jenny complained.

"Relax guys. This is like our first day and…" Danny's SB-Watch beeped. He checked it and there were several red blips on the face. These were situations that the Team needed to handle separately. They then split up to go and handle them.

* * *

Control Freak was in his lair and had been spying on the team and decided to chat while making comments about Team Mystic in an internet chat room.

Control Freak: Okay my internet chat buddies, tell me what you know about the Team Mystic.

Nerd: Who?

Girl: Team Mystic? Who are they?

Control Freak: Some superhero team that came to take over for the Titans while they're out of town or something.

Nerd: No way they are better than the Titans! IMHO only Robin is the real Titan.

Fat Geek: Robin and Starfire 4eva.

Nerd: Starfire should be with BB.

Girl: No way. He's dating Terra.

Little boy: So who are these guys?

Control Freak stopped typing and muttered sinisterly, "Let's find out."

* * *

Two window washers were hanging for their lives as one of the cables of their platform snapped. Jenny flew in and saved one of them, but the other one had fallen. The teenage robot flew down and grabbed the guy before he became street pizza. Jenny stood proudly.

The same old lady from before said to Jenny, "You look familiar…are you Starborg?" Jenny's face, and pigtails, fell…literally.

* * *

Jake climbed up a tree and helped a little kitten down. He climbed down and gave it to a little boy.

"Thanks Robin," the boy said, "I liked your other costume better."

(Well, Jake does look a bit like Robin.)

"I'm not Robin. I'm the American Dragon," Jake said to the kid. The kid just blinked and smiled at him. Jake groaned and flew away on dragon wings.

"Cool!"

* * *

June jumped in and pulled a drowning man out of the water and got her picture taken. No problems there…or were there?

* * *

Danny was chasing after a train. The track they were on was headed for a broken bridge. The train was moving so fast and there was no one in sight to change the tracks. He went faster and faster, his legs turning into a ghostly tail, as he gained some speed. He got to the lever in time and changed the tracks, waving to the train as it sped off to safety.

* * *

Control Freak was typing.

Control Freak: A robot, a strong girl, a dragon and a ghost. Geez, these new guys are weird.

Nerd: I agree.

Girl: The ghost boy and dragon are kinda cute though. But they are no match for Robin.

Nerd: None of them are a match for any of the Titans. They're just temps, not real Titans.

Girl: But how can you tell if they're real heroes?

Fat Geek: How about a contest?

Little boy: Or a test?

Control Freak grinned. "Yes…a test…not such a bad idea…"

* * *

The Team Mystic was at the pizza place and they each took a slice of the pizza.

Jake grumbled, "This stinks. Nobody knows who we are."

"I agree," Jenny grumbled as she bit into her pizza. (Jenny can now convert normal food into energy…a little upgrade made. She burns the food, literally, in her body).

June snickered, "So what if nobody knows your names 'Starborg' and 'Robin'? Lighten up."

A large screen nearby had the news on and the man June saved was being interviewed, "And I was pulled out of the water by some girl in a jumpsuit."

"Some girl in a jumpsuit?" June felt insulted. Jenny and Jake laughed.

"Oh lighten up…" Jake began.

"…Jumpsuit girl…" Jenny finished. They both laughed.

Danny began to preach, "We came to help take care of the city, not for the recognition."

"Oh, excuse us Mister Inviso-Bill," Jake joked. Danny groaned. Everyone laughed.

Suddenly, all the TV screens started showing Control Freak's face.

"What the…?" Danny was bewildered.

Control Freak's voice boomed, "AS YOU ALL MUST KNOW, THE TITANS ARE CURRENTLY OUT OF TOWN AND HAVE TRUSTED THEIR GUARDIANSHIP TO THESE FOUR INDIVIDUALS." There was a multiple split screen, showing a picture of each member of Team Mystic. "DANNY PHANTOM, TE XUAN ZE, AMERICAN DRAGON AND XJ-9!" Under a picture of each of them were their stats. "OTHERWISE KNOWN AS TEAM MYSTIC!"

Team Mystic blinked. Jenny commented, "Wow, he did his research!" She was impressed.

"I HAVE CONCOCTED AND STRATEGIZED A SIMPLE TEST WHERE YOU EACH PUT YOUR UNIQUE SKILLS TO THE CHALLENGE TO PROVE YOURSELVES AS PEOPLE WORTHY TO STAND IN FOR THE TITANS!

Suddenly, the Team was zapped away and into separate locations.

* * *

Danny found himself standing in front of a large bomb. Danny's phone rang and he flipped it open. Control Freak's face was on the screen.

"Danny Phantom, you must stop this bomb from exploding. The only way to defuse it is to press the off button. However, there are two and you have to press both at the same time. You got only 5 minutes to do it!" Control Freak instructed. Danny looked at the 25 foot tall bomb and gulped.

* * *

June found herself in a moving subway train, a fast moving train. Actually it was a fast moving runaway train with no driver. Her SB-Cell rang and she flipped it open to see Control Freak's ugly mug.

"Te Xuan Ze, you are now on a runaway train headed for the next stop. Once it does, an explosive onboard will trigger and destroy the whole subway. You better hurry or it'll go boom on you!" Control Freak laughed. June's potions belt disappeared, "And without your potions!" June glared.

* * *

Jake was at the docks and looked around in confusion. She then looked up into the air and gasped. Heading towards her were 15 missiles. Her SB-Cell rang and she flipped it open.

"American Dragon…you now have to stop 15 missiles from destroying the docks!" Control Freak informed her.

"Heh…easy…" Jake grinned, but suddenly felt an electrical surge and a collar around his neck.

"Oh…and to make it interesting, this collar neutralizes your dragon powers and capabilities. Try and figure THIS one out!"

"DANG IT!" Jake screamed out.

* * *

June was in the nuclear power plant. She looked around in confusion. Her SB-Cell rang and she flipped it open. Control Freak spoke to her.

"The radioactive power core is set to meltdown in 10 minutes. Of course, it's underwater…let's see if your metal is anti-rust," Control Freak snickered.

"I'm ready!" she dived in and used her jet rockets to propel her forwards. She slowly transformed into an aquatic mode. In the water she saw a large shape approaching her.

IT WAS A HUGE MECHANICAL SHARK!

Jenny gasped.

Control Freak's voice rang from her SB-Cell, "Wouldn't be exciting without any obstacles, would it?"

* * *

"AND YOUR DEFEAT SHALL BE BROADCASTED ON NATIONAL TELEVISION FOR THE WHOLE CITY…NO COUNTRY TO SEE YOU FAIL AND HUMILIATE YOURSELVES!" Control Freak bellowed and then cackled.

* * *

(With Danny)

Danny flew around the bomb and even phased through it to try to find a way to short circuit it. Unfortunately, the only way to do it was as Control Freak said. The timer was at 0:38 and counting.

"I can't be in two places at once," Danny said to himself, "Or can I?" Danny closed his eyes and concentrated his ecto-energy. There was a glow and another Danny appeared next to him. Danny panted. Duplication took a lot out of him.

Danny told his clone, "You know what to do?"

"Yeah! Let's go!" Danny 2 said before they both shot off into different directions. They only had seconds to spare before the thing blew up and made a hole in the city.

10…9…8…7…6…5…4…3…2…

They reached the buttons and pressed down at the same time.

Only a second to spare; Danny let out a sigh of relief.

The two Danny Phantoms flew up and congratulated each other before becoming one again.

* * *

(With June)

June searched all the cars and so found far nothing. There was no sign of a bomb, but she still couldn't underestimate Control Freak.

"Where is it? Oh, I wish Monroe was here. He could definitely sniff it out!" June searched under seats, placing her ear on the floor. THAT was when she heard IT. There was ticking under the floor. That could only mean that…

She gasped, "IT'S UNDER THE TRAIN!"

She then narrowed her masked eyes and balled her fist before she PUNCHED right THROUGH the floor and pulled out the bomb. As the bomb was disconnected from the train, it stopped ticking. June sighed in relief and smiled.

* * *

(With Jake)

Jake didn't know what to do. Without his powers, he was useless! And…wait minute. Once he saved the Dragon Council on Halloween and he didn't even have his powers then. Even if he wasn't a dragon at the moment, he was still 'The American Dragon!' The missiles were coming closer, but Jake had a plan…You see…Prof. Murata made some toys for the Jake-meister!

Jake tapped his heels and flames shot out from the soles. He had jet boots. He flew up and mounted one of the missiles, "Get along little doggie for the Am-Drag, yo!" maneuvering it to crash into the other missiles before he jumped off and caused a chain reaction that destroyed ALL the missiles.

"Raise the roof y'all! Can I hear a holla!"

* * *

(With Jenny)

In her aquatic mode, Jenny was wrestling with a large mechanical shark. She had not time for this, so she rammed her fist into its mouth and fired a laser, blowing it to pieces. Jenny then swam towards the other end of the tunnel, reached the nuclear reactor, and switched it off, avoiding a meltdown.

"That was close," If Jenny could sweat she'd be wiping it off her brow.

* * *

(Later…)

Team Mystic re-grouped and was surrounded by the citizens of Jump City, cameramen and reporters. Jake grinned and waved around, and so did the others.

"Now…this is the recognition I deserve," Jake grinned as his picture was taken, morphing between human form and dragon form, posing.

"What a ham," Jenny rolled her eyes as she signed her autograph.

"Well, we saved the city," June stretched. Jake stole a kiss and more cameras flashed as June blushed before smacking Jake.

"But what about Control Freak?" Danny asked.

"Yeah, what ever happened to that trippy couch potato, yo?" Jake asked.

Ask and you shall receive.

Control Freak zapped himself in front of Team Mystic. "YOU GUYS WERE AMAZING! I MEAN, I THOUGH I HAD YOU, BUT YOU GUYS BEAT ME! YOU GUYS ARE EVEN COOLER THAN THE TITANS!"

Team Mystic looked at each other and smirked. Control Freak then realized he had made a mistake, "Oh crud…"

Control Freak got carted of by the police, dolled up like Hannibal Lector in a straight jacket, muzzle and strapped to a gurney.

Danny's SB-Cell rang and he flipped it open, "Hello?"

"I've been getting reports of bombs, runaway trains, missiles and…robot sharks?" Shadow said, puzzled, "Are you sure everything is alright?" In the background, you could faintly see the giant outline of a large snowman.

Danny looked up at all of the grateful citizens, "Everything's just dandy…"

To Be Continued…

Well, I'm planning a sort of spin off involving Team Mystic. Need a lot of ideas badly. Oh and the disclaimer. Some of the characters used in this work of fiction are not my property and are being used without the permission of their owners, creators and distributors.

Next chap: It's the beginning of The End as The Terror of Trigon begins.


	91. PT091: Possibilities

Part 91: Possibilities

In Titans Tower, in Raven's room, were both Raven and Shadow, in the same bed. However, while Shadow was asleep, Raven was wide awake and staring at the ceiling. So far everything was going great for her. She had friends, was able to get some closure with Ekelo, and had a man who loved her and would be willing to sacrifice his life for her.

But in all honesty, she was still scared. Her eighteenth birthday was coming up soon and that would only mean one thing, The Prophecy of Scath. She knew that it would come, but she didn't want it to. Everything was great with her life, she could start living it and now The Prophecy of Scath had to rear its ugly head and ruin her life.

She sat up slightly as to not wake Shadow up and began to cry. It was one of the few times she would cry. Even when the pendent around her neck allowed her to show emotions, she never cried, that is until now.

The crying woke Shadow up. As he sat up he asked, "What's wrong?" Shadow was worried. It was the first time he had seen her cry for a long time and he wanted to know if everything was alright. But then again, when a person like Raven cried, something would obviously be wrong.

After a few moments of crying Raven stopped, "It's nothing." Of course she was lying and for good reason. She didn't want Shadow to think of her as a weak person. To her, crying signified weakness in the ability to deal with problems, or at least that was what she believed.

However, Shadow wasn't buying into it as he said in a serious tone, "Don't lie to me Raven."

"I'm scared Shadow… I'm scared about…" she stopped suddenly as tears threatened their way to the surface of her eyes. She was trying not to cry, because if she did she would look weak and that was something she didn't want.

But Shadow quickly caught on as he said, "About your destiny, the Prophecy?" Raven nodded, as that was all she could do to keep herself from crying. Shadow pulled her close to him, gave her a reassuring squeeze while he stroked her violet locks and said, "It's okay to be scared. But don't worry, we can beat this."

Raven nodded knowing all Shadow was trying to do was comfort her, but it wasn't working, "How? Trigon's too strong."

Shadow smiled and looked at her and said, "He isn't." Raven looked up at him with a questioning look on her face wondering what he meant by that, "Don't you see Raven? If he was so strong why would he need you to free him? You have more power than you give yourself credit for and he knows it."

But it still wasn't enough, "But the Prophecy…"

But she was cut off by Shadow as he said, "You CAN stop it, I know you can. Now… rest…"

She looked it him as he gave her a reassuring smile before she said, "No, I'm going to end this once and for all."

"How?"

"I'm going to Trigon's realm…and I'm finishing him off once and for all."

However Shadow cut in saying, "No, WE'RE going to finish this once and for all."

Before she could protest Shadow captured her lips with his to cease the argument. She melted into it with a feeling of pleasure.

* * *

On the roof of Titans Tower, Shadow stood overlooking the horizon wondering what he was going to do. He knew Raven was stubborn, which was one of the many qualities he loved about her, but this was dangerous. He knew she would try and enter Trigon's realm alone despite what he had promised her.

But his thoughts were interrupted as a voice spoke, "It appears you have a lot on your mind, Ichijyo."

Shadow turned around as he stared in shock at the being before him. He was a Crusader who looked to be in his mid-to-late thirties. He wore what Jason had worn when the Crusader had saved them, except his hair was obsidian instead of dark blue and his eyes were sky blue.

But to call him just a Crusader would be an insult to this being's power. He was the one, the first Crusader, Lance. He set into motion for his brethren, angelic warriors, to join him in the fight between Heaven and Hell by averting the first apocalypse.

He was also the one who instated the rules that the Crusaders must abide by. However, one was occasionally broken from time to time.

"Lance! What are you doing here!" asked Shadow apparently surprised by the sudden appearance of the most famous being in the supernatural realm.

"Is that how you greet me?" he asked holding his heart in a mock effort as he continued, "I'm hurt!"

Shadow smiled, Lance was one of the few beings that didn't consider him an abomination. Actually, all of the Crusaders viewed Shadow as a unique being and one to be respected. After all, not very many people could hold the balance between light and darkness.

Shadow's smile soon turned to a serious expression as he said, "I'm guessing that this isn't a social call, am I right?"

Lance took off the smile he had and it was quickly replaced by a serious look as he replied, "Nothing gets by you does it?"

Shadow just shrugged knowing it was a rhetorical question.

"I know about what Yoshido said to you up here," said Lance in a dead serious tone.

Shadow looked at him with a deadpan expression, of course Lance would know about that. There was hardly anything that went on in the supernatural realm that he didn't know about. But if Lance knew this and said it to Shadow that could only mean two things and he was hoping it was the former than the latter.

"Don't worry I'm not here to kill you, yet," said Lance as Shadow let out a sigh of relief. While Lance was one of the good guys, the angelic warrior could intimidate anyone and that included Shadow.

"So what are you here for?" asked Shadow slightly nervous about this whole situation.

"Just to issue a warning to you, if you try and kill Raven I will not hesitate to kill you myself," he said as Lance gave Shadow a serious look to tell him he wasn't joking or kidding either.

"I would never do that," Shadow retorted, "But why, I thought you might be one of the people who would want her dead?"

"Because, she is important to ridding the universe of Trigon once and for all," he looked at Shadow before he continued, "And I'll do anything to make sure that happens."

"How do you know she is the key for defeating Trigon?"

"Because, Ichijyo; while Trigon sees one outcome I see many. How many number of 'choices' are there?"

Shadow paused wondering about it. It had never occurred to him and to tell the truth he had no idea.

"Stumped are you? The answer is this; there is no number of choices. The choices we make are infinite and with those choices we build the path to the future. Many people would say there are only three choices in life. The choice of Good, Evil and Neutral, the path of Good and righteousness has over billions of choices, the same with the path of Evil and Neutrality as well. If you add them together your choices are infinite."

"Does this have a point?" asked Shadow clearly getting annoyed with Lance's philosophy. While it was very enlightening to know these types of things, now wasn't the time.

"My point is this Ichijyo; I see many futures for Raven," as he said this he closed his eyes and spoke, "In one outcome you had turned on the Titans when Yoshido released the Mark of Sin. You tried to kill Raven but your love for her ended up being far stronger. In the end you sacrificed yourself to save her. Two months later, Trigon arose and Raven used the Dagger of Azarath to destroy him. In another outcome I see is when Raven destroys Trigon, but instead of living her life the way she wants to, she takes his place and rules the mortal realm, hunting down anyone and everyone that can stop her, you being among them." Shadow stayed quiet as he began to understand what Lance meant, "So you see Ichijyo, one future, many outcomes, all of them uncertain." He walked to the edge as he said this, "Remember Ichijyo, if you try and kill her I will not hesitate to do the same to you."

"I promise you that I would kill myself before I would even do that. It would save you the trouble," Ichijyo stated. Lance gave the Knight a small smile before he jumped off the edge of the Tower. Shadow ran over to look over the edge of the tower, only to find Lance was nowhere in sight, '_Show off.'_

Shadow began thinking about what Lance had said. The Fates were strange mistresses and the Threads could go in any direction, be they good or bad. Of course, though the Fates arrange the destinies of mortals, it was the mortals themselves that decided their fates. Ichijyo felt envious of mortals since he had no choice but to follow his destiny. As the Vampangel, his existence bore the responsibility of being the pillar that maintained the balance of darkness and light and any side who had him would be powerful. He wasn't neutral, but he was still unwilling to become a Crusader or a Death Knight, though he knew that his TRUE power was legendary. Which was why his parents had sealed the power; he wasn't ready and to tap into the power now would kill him. Of course, presently, his own destiny was the least of his troubles. His present concerns were of Raven. No matter how much Raven insisted that she destroy Trigon alone, Shadow persuaded her to let him join her to be her guardian. This resulted to her accusing him of saying she was weak. He denied it and told her that he had lost Misha and he be damned was not ready to lose another loved one, especially Raven. After that, they had made love.

Shadow touched the bite mark on his neck and shuddered in pleasure as the events several moments ago played back in his mind. Raven, though she liked to be dominated, liked to be the dominant one more. Shadow groaned as he messaged his joints. He was still a little stiff from being with Raven, but didn't regret it one bit.

He knew that Raven was strong, but deep down she was still afraid of Trigon and the red demon would prey on that fear and use it against her before manipulating her into unleashing him upon the Earth. Shadow had to be there for her, he needed her to be strong and she needed his strength to give her the power to overcome Trigon.

He had asked if she wanted the other Titans to come along and she told him, firmly, no. This was between her and her father and all she needed was to have Shadow by her side. She didn't want to jeopardize the lives of her friends, including Shadow (who was more than a simple friend or boyfriend), but the Snake Knight of Invisibility had _persuaded _her and she was _forced_ to agree to his terms. Of course, he knew how stubborn Raven really was so he had to watch her or else she may make a fatal error in judgment and doom the world as a result.

What if Lance was right and Raven did become evil? What if Trigon turned Raven into their greatest enemy? Although, Shadow had to admit that Raven's demonic form was quite attractive… and sexy. There was something about girls with four eyes and tentacles that made Shadow shudder with pleasure when she touched him, then again, his demon form had more eyes than hers.

He had 7 eyes for the 7 Sins. Why he had them was a mystery itself. But, be that as it may, Raven was the top priority, not himself.

There had to be a way to beat Trigon and Raven was the key. Let's just hope she knows that, for the sake of the world and the universe.

To Be Continued…


	92. PT092: Portal

Part 92: Portal

A few nights later, it was the night of the full moon. Perfect. Shadow and Raven waited until the other Titans were asleep before they met on the roof. It was time and the end of Trigon was nigh.

"Are you ready?" Raven asked. "It's not too late to back down."

"I promised you that I will stay by your side, my sweet little blackbird, and I'll be damned if I ever break that promise," he told her. He had a suave tongue and she loved him for it. He was one of the few guys, aside from her friends, that was willing to go with her to fight a demon lord in another dimension.

"First we need our blood and draw a magic circle with it that will create a portal," Raven took out a dagger and slit her own hand while Shadow took off his glove and gripped his fist, digging his sharp fingernails into the palm and drawing blood.

Both Raven and Shadow used their blood to draw the circle on the floor with the various Azarathean runes on the inside. This would be their portal to Azarath and towards the confrontation with Trigon. After they were done with the preparations, Shadow healed their hands. All was prepared and the other Titans did not need to know about this. This would all be just a bad dream laid down to rest, forever.

"Let's do this," Raven said, taking in a deep breath, "Recite the spell with me." She levitated in a lotus position and Shadow took his place on the other side, facing her, also in the lotus position. They began chanting the spell together. They chanted, over and over, faster and faster, allowing their magical essence to flow into the circle. The circle began to glow and so did the symbols. The portal was starting to open.

Of course, the unexpected had happened: Slade came out of the portal, shocking the two,

"Surprise, Raven," Slade said before he turned and blasted Shadow with a fireball. He then grabbed Raven by her cloak and pulled her into the portal with him. Shadow got up and ran towards them.

"RAVEN!" he leapt at them, but was too late as the portal had closed. He slammed his fists onto the floor repeatedly, yelling out her name, but to no avail. He began to cry pitifully. She was now Trigon's prisoner and it was his fault. What was he to do now?

He needed to get help, a lot of help.

He needed the other Titans.

Boy, will this be a tough one to explain.

* * *

Shadow had called the Titans to the roof and explained everything. Robin, in his anger, grabbed the Snake Knight by his cloak.

"How could you let this happen!" Robin shouted.

"Please Robin!" Starfire coaxed him, "Do not become angry with Shadow!"

"It's not his fault, man," Cyborg agreed. Robin let Shadow go and Shadow bowed his head down in shame. Cyborg was wrong; it was his entire fault that Raven was captured.

"Great! Just freakin' great!" Beast Boy said sarcastically. "That's it, the world is doom! Raven's gonna bring forth the Apocalypse and we can't do a damn thing coz Slade has taken Raven to Trigon's realm!"

Draco quirked an eyebrow and said, "Beast Boy, don't be so melodramatic. There has to be something we can do."

Shadow studied the markings on the ground. He said, "We can do something."

"What do you mean, Shadow?" asked Robin.

Shadow turned to the Titans. With a heavy heart he said, "When Slade blasted me, using Trigon's powers, I managed to get some very useful information." He pointed to the circle. "See those markings?" the others nodded, "We can use them to form a portal to Trigon's realm, just like what Slade did."

"If Slade was able to do that, why didn't he free Trigon before?" Robin asked.

Shadow crossed his arms, "Because, Robin, the Prophecy states that Trigon can ONLY be freed by his spawn, in other words, Raven."

"That still doesn't help us on how to get to where Raven's at," Beast Boy added.

"Actually, there's more," Shadow said, "I think I can make another portal just by using the same markings on the ground. However, I might need help from someone who actually knows the spell and someone who knows magic as much as I do, possibly even more, since the spell requires two to do the chant. Plus we need a new circle since this one is now a dud"

"Then I'll help," volunteered Copycat as she suddenly appeared. The other Titans stood battle ready to combat Slade's apprentice

"Kat…" Draco said, surprised.

"What do you want?" Robin asked, taking out his Bo-staff.

Copycat turned to look at her brother and then to the other Titans. She sighed, "I came to help." She paused, "Before you say anything, I know that not all of you trust me, but I want to help. Even I don't want the world to end."

"Where's your crew?" Pluto asked suspiciously.

"Slade-sama started to act weird and then he attacked us, his own children and me. Aqua took a hit for me and ARMS and Scizzors are in bad shape," she continued, "I have to save him from Trigon's control. I owe him that much."

"She means it Robin," Draco said to the Teen Titans' leader.

Robin thought for a moment before he presented Copycat with a Titans Communicator. Copycat's eyes widened as she looked at the device. "Take it," Robin told her, "If you're going to help I suggest you carry one of these, just in case you need to stay in contact."

"Does…does this mean that…?" Copycat said, shocked out of her mind.

"Due to present circumstances, consider yourself an honorary member of the team, Zodiac Knight Copycat," Robin added, "For now…"

Copycat took the communicator and smiled happily. "Oh thank you!" she exclaimed.

"Glorious!" Starfire exclaimed as she took Copycat into a tight hug, which was joined by Draco, whom was congratulating her.

"That's great, sis!" said Draco.

Jinx pointed confidently to herself, "And I'll help with the magic part. All I need to do is follow Shadow's chant perfectly."

Shadow nodded.

Robin turned to the team, "Cyborg, Beast Boy, Copycat, Draco, and Shadow, you all are coming with me." He then turned to the rest of the team, "Blackfire, Starfire, Terra, Pluto and Jinx, you all stay to protect the city from any demon attacks."

Terra walked up to Robin and spoke, "I'm coming too." She tightened her fist, "I want to finish Slade off once and for all."

"No, Terra, you're staying and that's final!" Robin ordered. Terra narrowed her eyes and hesitantly nodded. Copycat glared at Terra.

"You won't do anything of the sort you treacherous, ungrateful, earth moving bitch of a blonde! You wouldn't have been able to control your powers if it wasn't for Slade-sama! I'm going to save Slade-sama and no one, not even you, not even demons, not even big friggin Trigon is gonna stop me!" Copycat hissed.

"Over my dead body," Terra countered.

"That can be arranged," Copycat unleashed her claws. Draco and Beast Boy went to calm the situation down. Beast Boy restrained Terra while Draco restrained his twin sister.

"TRAITOR!" Copycat snarled.

"PSYCHO!" Terra snapped. The two girls began swearing at each other, making Beast Boy and Draco blush.

Starfire walked towards Robin and gave him a hug. Robin hugged back. She whispered into his ear, "Please come back to me safe and sound, Timothy."

Robin whispered back, "I will Kori, I will." He let go, but not before sharing a passionate kiss with Starfire. He spoke to Pluto, "Pluto, I'm leaving you in command."

Pluto saluted, "By my name as Zodiac Knight Pluto and by the Code of the Zodiac Knights, I won't fail you, Robin!"

Copycat nudged him with her elbow, "Give it a rest Yoshi. We aren't in the army."

Pluto rubbed the back of his head.

"Be careful, Gar, okay?" Terra said to Beast Boy as they hugged each other for good luck. She had calmed down somewhat.

"You too, Terra," he said to her.

Jinx was speechless, so she did the next best thing; she quickly pulled his face to hers and gave him a passionate kiss. When she pulled away, he was grinning and swaying in a giddy-like manner. "Be careful, kay baby?" Jinx asked. He nodded quickly, still grinning. Copycat groaned.

"You are so whipped, little bro."

Shadow cracked his knuckles, "Let's get started!" he and Copycat each used their card readers to carve a new circle on the floor. They started with a large outer ring, followed by a smaller inner ring. Then, in between the two rings, they started drawing the symbols, precisely from memory. It was finally done when the Mark of Scath was drawn in the centre.

"Okay, now what?" asked Copycat.

Shadow looked a little nervous, "Now all we need is," he sighed, "the blood of a virgin."

All the others sweatdropped.

"Okaaaaayy," Cyborg said nervously.

Shadow gritted his teeth in frustration, "At least someone here has to be a virgin!"

"You called?" Venus flew onto the Tower roof. Pluto and Draco gasped at the Knight of Virgo. Did she mean what they thought she meant? Venus raised her hand. Everyone sweatdropped more.

"What? You think just because I use the name of the Roman Goddess of Love, I have to be a slut?" she asked, annoyed. She exposed her arm, "Let's do this thing!"

"ERIKA!" Pluto shouted, "You got to be kidding!"

"Yoshi, listen, the fate of the entire world, no, Universe, is at stake. If I don't do this, there's no way we'll be able to save Raven," Venus told her brother.

Pluto sighed, "Very well."

Draco asked, "But how did you know about all this?" he turned to look suspiciously at his sister, "Kat…"

"I called her," Copycat admitted. "And I told Moon to stay in Steel City just in case demons start attacking." She then smirked at Venus. ((You're doing this for Joey, aren't you?))

((How can you tell?)) Venus replied, blushing.

((I sense these things, plus Scizzors wouldn't stop 'talking' about you))

Shadow summoned a ceremonial dagger. "This may hurt a bit," he told Venus. Venus took off her glove and rolled up her sleeve.

"How bad could it-" Shadow cut her arm a bit with the dagger. "-OW! HEY!" she yelled holding her arm.

Shadow rolled his eyes, "Don't be such a crybaby. I'll heal you right up, but now we need that blood of yours." He led her to the symbol and told her to drip her blood onto it. At the same time, Shadow and Jinx chanted the spell, together, over and over.

Venus' blood dripped onto the symbol. It then started flowing into it, filling it up. The symbol then started glowing with an eerie red light. All of a sudden, it exploded with a blinding flash of crimson, forming a swirling portal. Shadow healed Venus, who was relieved, for the moment.

"Everyone ready?" Robin shouted.

"Let's do this!" Shadow yelled. '_Raven, here I come, my love.'_

"One for the money," Draco began, "Two for the show."

"Three to get ready," Cyborg continued.

"And four to GOOOOO!" Beast Boy finished with a yell before all 5 of them jumped into the portal.

"I knew I should've gone home!" Copycat whined before she jumped in after her brother and his friends.

While everyone else was distracted, Terra ran towards the portal and jumped in before anyone could stop her.

"What the Hell does she think she's doing?" Pluto yelled.

"I guess she has a grudge against Slade. Don't worry, she'll be alright with the rest of the Titans," said Blackfire, "I hope…"

Starfire prayed, "X'Hal, please protect my dearest Timothy and my friends, I pray to you." Jinx had similar thoughts about Draco.

To Be Continued…


	93. PT093: Azarath

Part 93: Azarath

Azarath was once a golden Utopian society that believed in peace and tranquility. Now, it was a shadow of its former splendor as the golden city had been reduced to a dead wasteland. The culprit: Trigon the Terrible.

Inside the black palace, Trigon sat at his throne as he awaited Slade to bring forth his daughter. He smiled at the prospect of being able to get what he wanted. The only person that could stop him was Lance, the other Crusaders weren't much of a threat but Lance was an entirely different story.

Before Trigon was sealed, Lance single handedly averted the first apocalypse. During those times the Crusader were swarmed by an army of demons and half demons. He destroyed the entire army without much effort. He was by far the most powerful being alive, far more than Libra and he would take on even the very gods themselves.

However, as long as he held the advantage of the spell he cast on himself, he was invincible.

The huge doors opened as Slade came into the room with several demons wheeling in a large cage in, which its contents held Raven. Trigon smirked at seeing his daughter like this, it was truly a sight to behold and it was somewhat ironic.

Slade bowed before Trigon as he said, "I have captured your daughter, _Master_."

Trigon's eyes narrowed down at his human slave. Apparently, he spoke the word 'Master' as if it was the vilest word in the human language. Also, Trigon could not just feel the hatred that Slade was directing at Trigon, but also regret.

"**It would appear that I have no more use for someone who regrets attacking their own children,**" and as he said this Trigon raised his hand as Slade's body was lifted into the air as red mist began to steam out of his body. Slade was left on the floor in pain, Trigon had used his power to take back what he had given Slade (with the exception of his flesh); apparently the process was very painful. Two demonic guards came forward and chained Slade's hands and feet together as they awaited what to do with their prisoner, "**Throw him in the dungeons, but keep him guarded! He is not a being to be underestimated.**"

They nodded and as they departed, two more guards came; they each wore a metal mask over their heads and the Mark of Scath on their white chest. They were each also armed with a pole arm that held a large blade at the end.

They took Slade as they kept a watchful eye on him but he gave no trouble for the two demonic prison keepers.

Trigon looked down at his daughter in the cage on the ground before him and, with a wave of his hand, the cage flew forward towards the High Demon Lord and stopped just in front of him.

He looked down at Raven as she glared back. He smiled as he spoke, "**My, my, I thought the situation would end differently, but apparently I was wrong.**"

Raven's glare intensified. He was taunting her and she would be damned if he would do this, but she had little choice in the matter. She was caged and, so far, her powers were being suppressed.

"If you want me to become the portal, forget it. I'd rather die than bring you to Earth," said Raven as she held her glare at Trigon. It was all she could do for now, but she hoped that she would be saved.

She hated being in these types of positions. She was not the type to play the damsel in distress, it just wasn't her. She could see Terra, Jinx or even Starfire playing this role but not her. She was strong and defiant and would not bow down to anyone's whim, let alone her own father's.

"**You do not have choice daughter! You will become the portal, but it will be much easier to have you join me,**" said Trigon in a bellowing voice. He knew Raven could not destroy him, however, since Raven would be a much more valuable asset to him alive than dead. He neared his face towards the cage as he spoke again, "**What say you?**"

Raven gave a slight smirk at the amount of distance Trigon's face was from the cage.

The High Demon Lord looked confused until a smile set on his face, he knew his daughter would join him; she just needed the right incentive.

Boy was he wrong…

The smirk left as Raven spat at her father's face as the demon recoiled out of pure shock. He was expecting her to say something along the lines of "Never" or something more classical like "You'll have to kill me first" or "I'll never join you."

But having his own daughter spit on his face, well that was something he didn't see coming, "How's that for an answer _father_?"

Trigon's surprise quickly turned to rage as his hand shot out. Red demonic energy shot out in the form of lightning as it hit the cage containing Raven. The lightning crackled as Raven felt like she was being electrocuted, she wasn't far from the truth.

As she felt the pain, she bit her lower lip, as she fought the urge to scream out in pain. She wouldn't give this monster the satisfaction of hearing her scream out in pain. She would never allow Trigon to get any pleasure out of torturing her so she remained silent through the pain.

But the torture ceased as a voice was heard, "Lord Trigon!"

Trigon looked down to see one of his demonic Generals, he had pure black charcoal skin with red armored gauntlets, chest plate, red armored boots and a sword strapped to his side. The Mark of Scath adorned his forehead as it glowed with eerie sense to it.

"**What is it, Kors?**" he yelled obviously annoyed by the interruption. Whatever this information was, it had better be important otherwise someone would pay dearly for this intrusion.

"The sentries have reported seeing, Ryuki Leonard Hasuma, Neko Katherine Hasuma, Ichijyo Desmond Amakusa Akuma, Victor Stone, Timothy Drake, Garfield Logan and Tara Markov entering Azarath through a portal," spoke the demonic general towards Trigon. "Also known as Zodiac Knight Draco, Zodiac Knight Copycat, Zodiac Knight Shadowcobra, Cyborg, Robin, Beast Boy and Terra."

The demon knew those names and smiled. He could kill his daughter's friends right in front of her and that could be the final thing that could get her darker side out.

Trigon looked at the cage and frowned, apparently the girl had passed out during her punishment for disrespecting her father. So he decided on the next best thing, "**Send the Kaisers to deal with them.**" He then remembered the name of Shadow, "**And have them bring me my daughter's lover, the Vampangel, to me…**"

* * *

The portal opened up and the Titans jumped out and stepped foot upon Azarath…or what was left of it.

"Nice place…" Copycat said sarcastically.

"This is where Raven's from?" Beast Boy questioned.

"Explains a lot, don't it?" Cyborg replied.

"No wonder she's so gloomy. Living here all your life, anybody would be grouchy like her," Draco added.

"This isn't her home," Shadow interjected, "At least, not anymore…Raven told me about Azarath. It was a beautiful golden city, a Utopian society of peace of tranquility. That is until…"

"Until Trigon moved in, right?" Robin cut in. "That's why it's like this."

"Exactly," Shadow nodded, "Draco, Copycat, call on your armors. We might be needing them soon."

Copycat placed her hands on her hips, "Hey! No one orders me around but-" she caught the glare from Shadow.

"Now!" he hissed.

"Okay!" she squeaked.

Draco snickered, "Scaredy cat." Copycat growled, "Sorry, oneechan!"

Beast Boy looked at the portal, "Shouldn't this thing be closed by now?"

"If it did, we won't be able to get out from here," Shadow answered.

"But what if-huh?" Suddenly, something flew out and slammed into Beast Boy. "Whoa!" Correction: someone, a certain someone with blonde hair and geokinetic powers.

"What a ride!" Terra said, shaking her head. She then noticed that she had landed on something soft. She looked down and gasped, "GAR!" she picked him up. "Are you okay? Speak to me!"

"Okie dokie artichokie…" he said in a daze, groaning in pain.

"Terra!" Robin yelled angrily.

Copycat scoffed, "Great, the traitor's here now."

"Takes one to know one!" Terra snapped.

Robin cut in, "Terra! I gave you orders to stay with the others!" Terra looked down at the ground sheepishly.

"Don't be mad at her!" Beast Boy defended, "She only came to help!"

"Help kill Slade-sama, no doubt," Copycat stated, under her breath, in a distasteful tone. Terra had heard her and stepped up to the Cat Knight.

"Listen here, sister! Slade has made my life Hell!" Terra gripped her fists, "He has to pay!"

"Well blondie! Slade-sama's the closest thing I have for a father and I owe him for that!" she narrowed her eyes, "So you better watch it girly, or else…" she threatened.

"Or else WHAT?" Terra challenged, "You're gonna cough up hair balls?"

Draco froze, "Uh oh!"

Copycat unleashed her claws and lunged for Terra. Terra prepared a punch for Copycat. Thankfully, Draco and Beast Boy were able to hold the ex-apprentice and apprentice back from hurting each other.

"ENOUGH!" Shadow shouted, shocking everybody to silence, "We have no time for this! There are bigger things here than our petty squabbles. Raven is in danger and the Prophecy is about to come to pass!" his third eye opened, scaring everybody, as his voice turned demonic, "**So you better behave or else I'll be force to separate…YOUR BODY PARTS!"** his third eye closed, "Got it?" everyone else nodded, "Good."

Copycat and Terra crossed their arms and turned away from each other. Terra then felt a chill as she looked at the surroundings. It was a wasteland. She kneeled down and picked up a clump of dirt that spilled out of her hand.

"The ground here…it's so dead and devoid of life," she said.

Draco looked around, taking a few steps forward, "I kno-WOAH!" he tripped on something and fell flat on his face. "What the-" he turned and froze. He had tripped on…A HUMAN SKULL! "WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!" he screamed and scooted away. Copycat laughed, holding her stomach. She leaned against a stonewall that broke away at the slightest contact. She fell into a hole in the wall and groaned. Bones began pouring out on top of her. Her feline eyes widened as she screeched.

"!" she ran around screaming, "GET THEM OFF ME! GET THEM OFF ME!"

Shadow slapped his forehead and groaned, "If Trigon didn't know we were already here before, he does now."

"We should go look for where Trigon might be keeping Raven," Robin said.

"Could that be a clue?" Beast Boy asked nervously as he pointed at something. The other Titans turned to look to what he was pointing at. It was TRIGON'S BIG BLACK SCARY CASTLE. The Mark of Scath and various demonic runes decorated the walls.

"That would be it," Cyborg stared it, "It's huge."

"And reeks of evil," Shadow hissed. "Let's go!" He started to run but Robin and Cyborg blocked him. "Out of my way!"

"Chill Shadow!" Cyborg advised him.

"We need a plan Shadow. We can't just go barging in!" Robin added.

"We don't have time for a plan! Trigon might be torturing Raven now as we speak! We have to move! NOW!"

Draco and Copycat suddenly stiffened. So did Beast Boy.

"Did anyone else hear that?" Draco looked around worriedly, his hair standing on ends.

"I did…it sounded like…dogs?" Copycat squeaked. She ABSOLUTELY hated dogs.

"Not dogs!" Beast Boy shouted, "THAT!"

"Hellhounds!" Draco and Copycat yelled out in unison.

"Not just any Hellhounds!" Shadow corrected, "KAISERS!"

The creatures that appeared howled. They were as large as bulls and stood on all fours. They had charcoal black skin and glowing yellow eyes with long snouts on their faces. Their jaws were lined with razor sharp teeth and they had sharp pointed ears and horns. On their chests was the Mark of Scath and all over their bodies various demonic symbols as well. They looked like really beefed up devil dogs. The Kaisers roared and charged at the Titans. There were hundreds of them and they were big, mean, dangerous…and hungry. These were Trigon's Kaisers.

Uh oh.

* * *

Trigon watched the Titans, especially Shadow, through a viewing portal with keen interest. "**This could be quite entertaining. Let's see if these new generations of Zodiac Knights are as good as the ones I fought in the past. I want to see if the Vampangel has the power I need for my plans."**

* * *

"ZODIAC FORCE OF THE SNAKE!" Shadow shouted.

"ZODIAC FORCE OF THE DRAGON!" Draco screamed.

"ZODIAC FORCE OF THE CAT!" Copycat yelled.

"**HENSHIN**!" the three Knights shouted in unison. Their transformation belts glowed brightly as the energy grids rose up and encased their bodies in their individual suits of armor.

"ZODIAC KNIGHT SHADOWCOBRA!" Shadow summoned his Cobra Staff, "SNAKE OF INVISIBILITY!"

"ZODIAC KNIGHT DRACO!" Draco activated the claws of his Dragauntlet, "DRAGON OF COMBUSTION!"

"ZODIAC KNIGHT COPYCAT!" Copycat lashed out with her Cat Whip, "CAT OF MIMICRY!"

Robin, Cyborg, Terra, and Beast Boy stood ready.

Shadow, Cyborg and Robin commanded as one, "TEEN TITANS GO!"

It (the battle) was on.

To Be Continued…


	94. PT094: Kaisers

Part 94: Kaisers

"Heh, heh, nice doggies," said Beast Boy trying to avoid the creatures that had a murderous glint in their eyes.

Too bad it didn't work

The Kaisers howled as they all launched towards their individual targets. The Titans all scattered to make themselves less of a bigger target but went into smaller groups. Terra and Beast Boy were together along with Cyborg, Draco and Copycat jumped into the air towards them as Shadow and Robin took on their own.

A group of Kaisers jumped at Robin, but the Boy Wonder jumped over them as he flipped in mid-air while digging into his utility belt. He flung two freeze disks from his right hand and threw an explosive disk from his left. The Kaisers were frozen in place as the explosive disk turned their bodies into ice shards, "That's one way to break the ice."

A dozen went after Shadow and tried to attack him at once. He side stepped the first attack as he impaled the attacker with the end of his scepter and swung around as he batted away another with the blunt end of his weapon. At that moment they all began to pounce on the Knight. But Shadow was able to teleport away as they all began to swarm him. They looked up as they saw Shadow floating in the air a bit until multiple clones of himself appeared.

Draco jumped over a Kaiser that jumped at him only to have one pounce on top of him. The Kaiser was about to snap at Draco's face until the Knight of Combustion held the Hellhound's mouth at bay grabbing the top and bottom of the mouth. Draco then kicked the Hellhound off of him as it was sent soaring towards a building, "Man these things need a breath mint."

Copycat dodged from side-to-side, avoiding the Kaisers' slashes and strikes while trying to stay alive. She knew that from the first swipe, these Hellhounds could claw off her armor with little effort. She hated dogs, but now she hated these Kaisers even more. If she had to choose from regular dogs to Kaisers, she would choose the dogs.

She back flipped to the side of a statue. It was fifteen feet tall and was the perfect image of a Minotaur. It had its arms crossed over its chest with a small battleaxe in each hand. She looked at it and smiled, "This could come in handy."

Copycat slammed her hand onto the statue as she used the Power of the Rat to bring Motion to the Motionless. The statue began to gain color as it moaned in surprise. The being moved a bit until looking down, "How may I be of service Mistress?"

An insane grin crossed her lips as she looked at the Kaisers, "Get rid of those nuisances and protect my brother and HIS friends." The Minotaur nodded and with a mighty roar, he attacked.

Terra was hovering above the ground on a rock platform as she pelted the Kaisers with sharp rocks. But they did little against the Hellhounds as they just shrugged the blows off. Terra then sped downwards as she back flipped off of the rock and it came crashing down on top of some of the Kaisers. Terra then used her powers to call upon another boulder from the ground and landed on top of it, "Now that's what I call Hard Rock!"

"Cyborg, boost!" yelled Beast Boy as he ran at Cyborg who did just that by interlacing his mechanical fingers and knelt down to give the changeling a boost.

As Beast Boy ran to Cyborg, he put one foot in Cyborg's hands and was flung high into the air, "LOOK OUT BELOW!"

Beast Boy turned into a Tyrannosaurus Rex as he used his tail to swat all of the Kaisers that were on the ground away. However, those that weren't quickly jumped onto the T-Rex and began to bite down on the changeling.

"Beast Boy!" yelled Terra as she lifted up several rock spikes and used them to impale the Kaisers that swarmed all over his body.

The changeling quickly reverted back to his human form as he lay there, hurt and with a few scratches. The Kaisers quickly moved towards Beast Boy's prone and hurt body with a hungry look in their eyes.

"Get away from him!" yelled Cyborg as he charged his Sonic Cannon and blasted several of the creatures away from Beast Boy causing the remaining to divert their attention towards him.

* * *

Inside the Palace Raven was coming to. Her head hurt and so did her body. In truth she just hoped that what she experienced was just a nightmare. But as she took in her surroundings she knew all to well that this was not a dream. It was really happening.

She looked up as she saw Trigon's face, his attention diverted in front of him. The High Demon Lord was interested in something, and as Raven turned to see what that something was, the very sight made her blood run cold.

Several of her friends, plus an enemy, were in Azarath as well as Shadow, but what was worse was that they were fighting Kaisers.

"**Do you like the entertainment?**" asked Trigon in an amused tone. Raven turned her head to glare at the monster only to receive a smirk as he spoke again, "**I would change the channel, but I lost the remote; AHAHAHAHA!**" Trigon howled at his own joke while at the same time enjoying his daughters attempt to intimidate him. It was just too funny, a caged bird trying to intimidate the captor; it was too funny for words.

As Raven dropped her glare and looked at the battle unfolding, one thought entered her mind, _'This is all my fault.'_

* * *

The group huddled together with their backs to each other. They had several cuts and a few scratches, but nothing serious. The only problem was the amount of Kaisers there were, they seemed almost endless. They'd taken down at least a hundred but by the looks of it you couldn't tell.

"There's too many of them!" yelled Cyborg as he looked at his power cell, it was halfway depleted and so far the Kaisers weren't even dwindling in numbers.

"We can't just give up, there has to be a way out of this," said Draco, even during times like this, he was optimistic. However, he began to doubt his own words; they didn't seem to carry the amount of conviction that he had hoped. He just wondered if the others realized this.

"Might I suggest a tactical retreat Mistress?" asked the fifteen foot tall Minotaur. The being held just one axe now as the creature's previous axe was shattered from too much use.

"Shut up and keep fighting!" yelled Copycat. She wasn't sure why she thought bringing the Minotaur to life was such a good idea, but at least they had a hardened warrior on their side.

"Things cannot get any worse right now," said Beast Boy.

Surely he was right. They were surrounded by Kaisers who were closing in for the kill, Raven was trapped at a palace with her father doing only God knows what to her and they were on the losing side of a fight. Things couldn't get any worse, could they?

The answer is: Wrong, they could get worse, a lot worse.

A screeching roar was heard as the Titans had to cover their ears to block out the sound. Of course the Knights didn't have the luxury and they were forced onto there knees as they tried in vain to cover there ears through their helmets.

"What the hell was that!" yelled Robin as he made sure everyone was okay, that and making sure that he wasn't bleeding from his own ears.

"I don't know but I almost passed out," said Copycat as a shiver went up her spine. She had no idea of what that sound belonged to, but she had a bad feeling that it was something far worse than these Kaisers.

"What!" yelled Draco as his hearing was temporarily gone for the moment and the only thing that he could hear was a loud ringing.

Shadow was about to explain until every Kaiser that was in front of them began to howl into the air. Such a combination of sound from so many animalistic demons was almost unbearable.

The Titans went to their knees clutching their ears in pain, all except Draco who didn't hear a thing. He instead looked up as his eyes widened. Coming through the air at them was something big, very big. He wasn't sure what it was but whatever it was, it couldn't be good.

With a huge crash the creature landed in front of the Titans which caused them all to be blown away by the shockwave being caused by such a huge creature.

They were able to quickly get up and look at the worse case scenario at the battle. The creature looked like a Kaiser, but with many differences.

It was much bigger than the others. While the Kaisers within the group were as big as a large bull, this one was three stories tall and with twice as many demonic runes covering its body. Its head, while still looking like a Kaiser but only bigger, had two horns curving upwards with demonic runes emblazoned on them. Everything else was the same, with the exception of it being several times larger in size.

"Oh great, it's the Alpha male," said Shadow gritting his teeth in frustration. Apparently their situation had gone from bad, to really bad, to worse.

"Okay, why don't I like the sound of that?" asked Draco in a nervous tone. Normally he would say something encouraging, but even now he had to admit that their chances for success were pretty bleak.

The Kaisers that surrounded the Alpha male slowly edged forward, only to have the lead Kaiser to sneer and growl at the Kaisers to his right causing them to back up and did the same to the left group getting the same results.

"Okay, I'm confused," said Beast Boy. He knew very little about demons but he knew a lot about animals. What the Alpha male Kaiser just did was something he would refer to as a lone challenge. Among animals that would mean when the leader of a pack is challenged, the challenger fights the leader for supremacy over the pack. When the others begin to interfere, the leader would growl, telling them not to interfere.

To Beast Boy, this looked more like animalistic behavior rather than demonic behavior. It was a bit confusing but he wasn't going to open his mouth least he make matter even worse.

"Looks like the Alpha male wishes to fight alone," said Shadow with a ray of hope. He knew a lot about demons and Kaisers tended to act like a pack of wolves. When the leader falls in combat the person/creature that defeats him is considered the new leader. But then again not even a Crusader had been able to topple an Alpha Kaiser so their chances were still pretty dark; but at least they had a slight ray of hope.

"It wants a challenge, right?" Draco cracked his knuckles, "Let's give it one."

"One problem guys," Beast Boy stuck out a finger, "It has to be one on one. I know animals, and this guy here (The Alpha Kaiser) is acting like an alpha male of a wolf pack, which means that one of us has to fight him ALONE."

Copycat was impressed, "Wow, the green one isn't as stupid as he looks after all." Terra glared and then hugged Beast Boy from behind.

"You're so smart, Gar," Terra cooed as she rubbed her cheek against his. He blushed. Copycat stuck her tongue out in disgust.

"So…which one of us is gonna fight?" Cyborg asked.

"He's leader of the pack, and I'm leader of our 'pack', so I think I should…" Robin began.

"No Robin," Shadow interjected.

"But why?" Robin demanded.

Shadow poked Robin's chest, "If you want to get killed, be my guest, but I don't think Starfire would appreciate it if I let you go on a suicide mission. And, Alpha Kaisers are known to be both powerful and ruthless killing machines. As strong as you are now, you wouldn't last 5 seconds with him." Shadow pointed to Cyborg with his thumb, "Cyborg would stand a better chance, but I doubt he could handle something like that, alone. No offence Victor."

"None taken," Cyborg raised up his hands, "I don't even think I would last long with that thing trying to kill me."

"Timothy, I know you're headstrong and stubborn, but put your ego aside and see that the odds are against you. A normal Kaiser is hard enough, but an Alpha Kaiser is a whole different ballgame." Shadow sighed, "And maybe we should've brought Pluto along…he could've lasted long if he had fought."

"The mongrel? Please…" Copycat snorted. She flexed her fingers and brandished her claws, "If it's me against a demon dog…no contest."

"If you wanna be dog-chow oneechan," Draco retorted. Copycat growled.

"So any more bright ideas? We'd love to hear them!"

"Just one," Draco pointed to himself, "Me."

**"YOU?" **everyone shouted in unison like he was kidding.

"Yeah," Draco paused, "Listen guys, Raven needs us and we don't have time to argue. If fighting the Alpha Kaiser means saving Raven, so be it."

"I don't know Draco…" Robin said with hesitation, "It seems risky."

"You could get yourself killed," Shadow added.

"I know that," Draco nodded, "And I'm willing to take that risk."

"Hold on!" Copycat walked up to her brother, "You're not going to fight that dog on Steroids! I won't allow it!" she actually sounded like she was concerned for her brother's well being. How strange. "Besides, with the powers I've gained, I KNOW I can take that thing!" Draco then shut her up by hugging her. "Ryuki…?"

"Neko-oneechan, I know you care more than you show it. Don't pretend that you don't," he sighed, "I may not survive and I know that too…but we need your powers to save Raven. So…if I don't make it, take care of Okaasan…kay?" Draco gave her the message.

Copycat pushed her brother gently away and looked him in the eye. She never liked him before, but she still cared about him, jealousy aside. She always thought that he didn't deserve the power of the Dragon, but seeing him now, how mature he had become, she saw him in a new light. She may not like him, but she respected him…she was also proud that he was her little brother. "Okay…I'll do what you say," she added, "But only because I don't want to be hexed by your girlfriend. Just…don't die."

"Okay…"

"And Ryuki?" she grinned as her faceplate opened up, "Kick its ass!"

Draco's faceplate and eyepieces slid open slightly to show that he was smiling before his faceplate slid close. He cracked his knuckles and shook his hands before cracking his neck. He had also given the other Titans the look that meant he was not backing down. However, a little voice in his head told him he could take on and take out the Alpha Kaiser.

That voice was Yaminekoryu.

May Kamisama bless his soul…he was going to need it.

Draco walked up and shouted at the Alpha Kaiser, "I DON'T KNOW IF YOU CAN UNDERSTAND ME, BUT I'M GONNA BE FIGHTING YOU! IT'LL BE MAN TO MAN…ER DOG…YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN!"

The Alpha Kaiser let out a roar, meaning it accepted Draco's challenge. The other Kaisers howled while the Titans applauded.

"He's doomed, isn't he?" Robin whispered to Shadow.

"Pretty much," Shadow confirmed, "But…I somehow have faith in Draco's abilities."

Draco called out, "YAMINEKORYU! SPIRIT FUSION!" the demonic spirit came out of Draco's body before bonding their souls together…becoming one. Their minds, their personalities, were now perfectly amalgamated. A fiery red aura surrounded his body as he growled, "**Let's get it on…**" his voice sounded like a combination of both his and Yaminekoryu's.

"Draco has the powers of the Dragon, Ox, Scorpio, Capricorn and Pisces. These powers may help him in this fight," Shadow analyzed.

"Hopefully, Yaminekoryu's influence doesn't make him TOO cocky," Copycat added worriedly, her hand clutching her deck. If it turned for the worse, she'd go in and help her brother. Only SHE had the right to beat her brother and not an overgrown mongrel with horns. It was HER right and no one else's.

Draco let out a feral roar as the Alpha Kaiser let out a savage roar on its own. The Knight and the Beast leapt at each other ready to tear each other to shreds. This was a battle between two ferals, a battle of honor, a battle of pride.

It was also a battle to the death…and the stakes were high.

Draco called forth the Power of the Ox and rammed his fist into the Kaiser's maw, sending it back a few inches, but the Alpha Kaiser recovered quickly and swiped at Draco with its claws. Draco landed on the ground and looked up to see the claw coming at him. He leapt up in time to land on its paw before running up and aiming a kick to the side of its head. The Alpha Kaiser toppled over from the force of the kick. The other Titans looked on, impressed.

"Remind me not to get him pissed off again," Cyborg said.

"TEACH THAT MONGREL A LESSON LITTLE BRO!" Copycat cheered on, throwing up her arms.

The Kaiser roared and fired a stream of flame at Draco. Draco grinned under his helmet. Didn't it know that Draco could manipulate fire? Obviously not. Draco waited for the fire to hit him before he controlled it for himself. He heard the others yell at him to move out of the way, but he stayed stationary. The flames came close, but did but touch him. Why? He was whirling them around his body.

**"TAKE THIS! HELLFIRE FUNNEL!" **Draco roared and sent back a tornado of fire back at the Alpha Kaiser. The flames were being force fed down the Kaiser's throat and it was choking on its own fiery breath. "**A piece of advice: get a breath mint." **The Kaiser growled hatefully and swiped at Draco. The Dragon Knight then accessed the power of Scorpio and turned his body into sand, thus the Alpha Kaiser could not touch him.

Beast Boy exclaimed, "Did you see that? Draco turned to sand!"

"I'm impressed," Copycat said proudly. Her brother was becoming the warrior she'd hoped he'd be.

The sand then got into the Kaiser's eyes, blinding it. It went into a wild thrash as it began roaring and clawing, biting and growling at thin air. Draco reformed on the Kaiser's nose and turned his hand into a hammer of sand before swinging it down.

WHAM!

Right between the Kaiser's eyes, hard. The others flinched.

"That wasn't what I expected of him," Shadow muttered, "And I thought I knew him."

"It's Yaminekoryu's influence, Ichijyo," Copycat explained to him.

"Yami-who?" Terra asked.

Copycat pointed to her head, "My little bro has a little demon in him, that's all you need to know."

The Kaiser growled as its stance was a bit wobbly and dazed. Draco leapt off it and stood confidently. He then swung down his arms and slammed his fists onto the ground, now using the power of Capricorn to cause a slight tremor that made the Kaiser topple over and crash into a building.

"He won!" Beast Boy cheered. "Go Draco! You can do it buddy!"

"Don't celebrate too soon, Gar," Shadow ceased his cheering, "The Alpha Kaiser is not going to give up so easily."

And the Kaiser didn't give up. It got back to its feet and roared out before swiping at Draco with its claws. Draco got hit and slammed through a few buildings, leaving holes in the shape of his body, spread out in different poses.

Draco got out of the rubble and saw the Kaiser above him, "**Crap."** The Alpha Kaiser slammed its paw down on top of Draco before howling out in victory. The other Kaisers howled in response. Their leader was victor.

"Draco!" Robin shouted.

"He's gone…" Terra shuddered, "I can't believe he's gone."

"Shadow!" Beast Boy shouted to his dark friend. "Cy!" he shouted to his robotic friend, "Can you scan for him or something?"

Shadow closed his eyes and Cyborg checked his scanners. Cy shook his head, "I'm sorry…I can't find him."

"But I can," Shadow grinned, "He's down, but not out. Look!"

The Alpha Kaiser's leg started to freeze up, covered by a thick layer of ice. Draco drilled himself out of the ground and wheezed.

"Okay! Never doing THAT again!" his voice was back to normal meaning he wasn't fused with Yaminekoryu anymore.

"Yes Aibou," Yaminekoryu appeared in spectral form, holding his head, "I may not be corporeal, but THAT hurt!"

The Alpha Kaiser got its leg free, shattering the ice and roared. Draco just joked, "Cool off!" and blasted out a freeze ray that froze the Alpha Kaiser's jaw shut. The Alpha Kaiser thrashed around slamming its head against the stone structures in an effort to break the ice off. Draco then got an idea and leapt up, landing on the Alpha Kaiser's head and grabbing onto its horns.

"GET ALONG LITTLE DOGGIE!" Draco whooped out as he rode on the Kaiser's head as it bucked and thrashed like a bronco. Copycat slapped herself in the face.

"My brother _loves_ horse back riding," Copycat mumbled.

"He looks as crazy as you," Shadow replied, earning a glare.

"NOW I see the family resemblance!" Beast Boy observed.

Draco held on for dear life as the Alpha Kaiser roared, now losing the ice mask and thrashed its head around, trying to throw Draco off. Of course, Draco had other plans.

* * *

Trigon watched on and growled as Raven smiled. This was not something he was expecting.

"**How can he do THAT!**" he roared out in disbelief.

Raven replied, amused at her father's reaction, "He IS unpredictable."

Trigon watched Draco. He could sense something demonic in the young Dragon Knight. It was not physical… but more spiritual. He was not farther from the truth, however. Then, it clicked. The boy had called on the name Yaminekoryu. Trigon sneered. So the traitor sided with humans and bonded with one. Only one word came to his mind.

"**Pathetic…" **

* * *

Draco held on a horn with one hand while waving a cowboy hat in the air. HOW he had a cowboy hat was a mystery and no one seemed to care on how he acquired it anyway, seeing that he was riding the Alpha Kaiser to submission. This, for the Alpha Kaiser, was a test of endurance and Draco was trying to break it.

The Alpha had too much pride to let itself be beaten by a mere human, even if said human had the powers of 5 Zodiacs, two being Oriental and 3 being Greek. It didn't matter. All that mattered to it was winning and win it shall.

The Kaiser focused and a red electrical current flowed through its horns and into Draco. Draco was force to let go as the Kaiser swung its head around and Draco flew up. The Kaiser pulled back its head and opened its jaws wide. Draco fell back down screaming into the Hellhound's jaw before it closed them together.

"**NO**!" The Titans screamed.

"SPIT MY BROTHER OUT NOW YOU OVERGROWN PUPPY DOG!" Copycat screamed as she swung her fists around. "ONLY I CAN KILL HIM!"

The monster licked its lips in satisfaction. However, its victory was short lived as Draco forced its jaws open. He was upside down and was pushing up with his legs while his arms were pushing down. The Titans sighed in relief and cheered him on.

"Seriously…get a breath mint!" Draco wheezed. He sent out a telekinetic blast that threw himself out of the Hellhound's mouth and the Hellhound in question was thrown back onto the ground, whimpering in pain as a few of its teeth were now broken. Draco landed and rolled on the ground, stopping just in front of the other Titans. He wheezed, "Ugh! I am never doing THAT ever again! I'm seriously going to be traumatized and seriously need some therapy after we get through this!" Robin held out his hand and Draco took hold of it, letting his leader pull him back up. He cracked his neck, "Did I win?"

The Alpha Kaiser got back up and roared.

"Guess not," Draco mumbled and drew a card from his belt. It was the XL-Vent card. He slid the card into his belt buckle before shouting out, "EXCEL ACTIVE!" his red suit turned black as red lines appeared on his sleeves and legs, in the pattern of diamonds. He then ran at the Alpha Kaiser, ignoring his friends' protests. He was either extremely brave, or incredibly stupid. For Draco, it was a little bit of both really. Draco drew out his DRA-Blaster and connected it to his right boot.

Draco leapt up and drew out his Final Vent Card. He slid in the card and at the same time the power streams of his Excel Suit began to glow. Dragonzer was summoned, ready to go with its master to implement THEIR attack. The DRA-Blaster flashed with power. "Excel Charge."

"EXCEL COMBUSTION DRAGON KICK!" Draco's fiery flying kick rammed right into the Alpha Kaiser's head, breaking off one of its horns, and sending it crashing hard into the ground, followed by a fiery explosion due to the extra energy release. When the smoke cleared, Draco was revealed standing on top of his defeated foe and gave it a thumb's down, "Game over, you lose."

The Titans looked at him in surprise before cheering. Even Draco's sister joined in the cheer. They ran towards Draco and congratulated him, but what of the other Kaisers?

"I do not believe we are done yet," said the Minotaur as he walked up to the group. The diverted their attention to the other Kaisers. In their act of celebration they seemed to have forgotten all about the others. However, what they saw wasn't what they were expecting. Instead of seeing multiple Kaisers growling and advancing towards them, they seemed almost sad.

One Kaiser came forward as it had its head down and slowly approached their fallen leader. The Kaiser was much bigger than the others but not as big as the Alpha male. If one were to guess, this Kaiser was probably the Alpha Kaiser's mate.

It slowly nudged its mate with its nose gently to awake it, but the Kaiser didn't move.

The others looked at this with mixed expressions. The scene was almost sad to a certain point and somewhat touching. It looked as if even Kaisers felt feelings for ones they cared for. And if creatures like this could shed a tear for one of their own, then it was proof that there were demons that had a kind heart.

The Alpha Kaiser began to stir slightly as its eyes opened. The others became wide eyed at this, they thought the Kaiser was defeated, but it wasn't.

The Kaiser leader slowly got up on all fours and looked at Draco. The others expected the creature to continue the fight, but instead it bowed its head in respect and spoke, "**I acknowledge my defeat, you are the superior one among us.**"

The others were dumbfounded by this, they didn't what to say but apparently one did, "You can talk!"

The question came from Beast Boy; he was as shocked as everyone else, well except for Shadow. He knew that the Alpha Kaiser was able to speak, but he was still shocked to see that the Hellhound was admitting defeat.

"**Yes I can, and I pledge myself and my pack to you, Zodiac Knight of Combustion,**" said the Alpha Kaiser as he bowed, and slowly the Mark of Scath disappeared only to be replaced by a Chinese Zodiac sign, Draco's sign; the dragon. The others began to bow as well as their marks changed from Trigon's symbol to Draco's.

The Alpha Kaiser stood up from its bow as he looked at a certain direction and snarled, "**It appears that some of my former master's minions are converging onto this spot.**"

"Could you take care of them then?" asked Draco. He was still a bit confused as to why the Alpha Kaiser pledged his loyalty to him. However, he wasn't going to ask questions on the matter.

The Alpha Kaiser looked at Draco as the Hellhound nodded. With a howl it leaped straight at the direction Trigon's minions were, with the others following closely behind.

"Well, that was strange," said Beast Boy scratching his head in confusion.

"Tell me about it," said Copycat, even though she was glad to have some allies in this fight the idea of those Kaisers being loyal to her brother creeped her out a bit.

"We don't have time to wonder about that now," said the Minotaur who was silent throughout the entire fight.

Copycat looked up to the mythological beast as she said, "We're going to go on ahead. I need you to guard that portal there and make sure no one uses it." And to emphasize what she meant, Copycat jerked her thumb to the still opened portal.

"As you wish Mistress," said the Minotaur as he walked off and stood guard over his post.

Shadow gave Copycat a brief stare before he addressed the team, "Alright everyone, we have to get going; we don't have much time." Shadow began to walk forward while saying, "And watch where you step, there's no telling what could pop out."

But little did he know something was going to pop out; right underneath him. A clawed, pink skinned hand shot out from under Shadow. The hand itself was as big as the Knight's body, allowing whatever was attached to it to have a firm grip.

"Shadow!" They all yelled in unison. However, they didn't get a chance to rush over as the hand pulled him underground and out of sight.

To Be Continued…


	95. PT095: Temptation

Part 95: Temptation

Raven stared, transfixed on the spot where Shadow was pulled underground by some unknown creature. Trigon smiled in delight as Raven spoke, or more precisely yelled, "What did you do to him you bastard!"

Trigon just howled with laughter at his daughter's anger. She was still trying to intimidate him, yet all he got of it was amusement instead of the reaction Raven wanted: Fear.

The doors opened slightly as a Molas Demon entered. The creature looked to be a cross between a mole and a human. It was the same height as Cinderblock; its hairless body looked somewhat humanoid, if not disfigured somewhat. It also had five fingers as well as claws at the end. Its feet were more animalistic than human and its pink body gave the impression that it was a naked mole rat, but without the buck teeth.

Draped over the creature's shoulder, was the bound and gagged form of Shadow, who was unconscious at the moment.

The Molas demon dropped Shadow in the center of the room and left without a word.

"**I believe some torture is in order,**" Trigon snapped his fingers.

And sure enough two Succubize appeared. The Succubize were the complete opposite of the Succubi. While the Succubi were mainly sexual demons, the Succubize, however, were much more sadistic. They were considered masters of absolute torture, keeping their victims alive as well causing them incredible amounts of pain. These characteristics have earned them the nickname 'Torture Demons'.

They looked relatively human with the exception of one attribute; their eyes were an obsidian color, completely devoid of life but with sadistic smiles. They wore blood red robes as they pulled a cart that was laden with dozens of torture devices.

Shadow's armor was quickly removed leaving only his bodysuit, he was then strapped to a chair as he was unbounded and the gag was taken out of his mouth.

Soon enough, Shadow began to come to. His surroundings were different than what he remembered. The only thing he could remember before he passed out were two white eyes that seemed to glow in the dark. If he had to guess, he must have fainted. He never fainted, even in fear of looking at something so terrifying. But then again, as brave as he was, there were things that even terrified him.

However, he was soon cut off from his thoughts as a sharp and unexpected pain shot through thigh. It felt like a knife dug its way into his skin and muscles causing him to yell in pain, "AAAAHHH!"

It was unexpected to say the least, because if he did see it coming he would have bit his lower lip to avoid from screaming. His eyes opened slightly after being shut violently and then his eyes widened to their full width.

He sat just a few feet away from Trigon the Terrible and was being tortured by two Succubize. That wasn't what scared him the most. Raven was in what looked to be a big birdcage watching him being tortured.

"Rave-AAAAHHHHHH!" yelled Shadow as another sharp pain cut into his body. One of the Succubize had cut off a part of his bodysuit and was peeling away his flesh with a rusted knife.

"Ichijyo!" yelled Raven, she couldn't bear to see him like this; no one deserved this type of punishment. Okay, maybe her father did but certainly not Shadow. "Leave him alone!"

Raven turned away and shut her eyes to block out the sight of her loved one being tortured, but the screams just increased as emotions began to take hold. Despair, sadness, regret were what she was feeling, but most of all; rage. Hatred of her father for torturing the only one she loved.

Trigon watched his daughter with a bemused expression. She was supposed be losing her control over her emotions now, yet she didn't change at all. The pendent on her neck began to glow and Trigon noticed it. That was what was keeping her emotions and power under control.

He raised his hand and Raven felt a tug at the back of her neck as the pendent was ripped off. She looked up and saw it fly into Trigon's hand. As soon as it was within his grasp, he crushed it.

Soon after, Raven's emotions began to take control as Rage and Anger melded into her body. Soon she began to change. Her pale grey skin grew paler as demonic runes began to glow all over her body and the Mark of Scath appeared on her forehead over the Chakra jewel. Her eyes opened into four glowing red eyes, just like her father's. Her hair also grew much longer and turned obsidian black.

Trigon smiled. His plan worked. Now all that had to be done was have Shadow be turned to their side by Raven.

Raven stood up as she walked to the entrance of the cage. She placed her hand on the door and it melted as if lava came into contact. She lowered herself down to the ground with her powers, "**Stop torturing him.**"

The Succubize looked at her for a moment, then to Trigon. Their master nodded and they began putting their tools away and healed the Snake Knight's wounds. After that they awaited their next command, which came from Raven, "**Take him to my chambers for so** **I may 'personally' attend to him.**"

They nodded and began to un-strap him and took him out of the room. The only thing Shadow remembered before passing out from the pain was Raven's sadistic smile.

* * *

Shadow began to come to. He realized he was lying on something soft; a bed perhaps? His body was a bit sore from the torture but that was the farthest thing from his mind. He needed to find Raven and turn her back to the way she was. However, that thought was cut off from his mind as he felt Raven's hand going up and down his chest.

He looked to the side and saw her there. She had a smile on her face, but it wasn't a loving or sadistic smile, instead it was filled with lust, "**Hello there my love**." She laid her head on his chest and purred sultrily. "**Sleep well?**"

Shadow heard her voice, but it wasn't _her_ speaking. He knew that the evil inside her had taken hold of her and he was kicking himself for it. He knew that in some way it was his fault she had turned. He was careless enough to get captured and tortured by the two demons.

He looked at Raven as he grabbed her by the shoulders, sat up, and pulled her up to his face saying, "Raven! You have to snap out of it!" From what he saw, she was wearing a long and tight black sleeveless dress that hugged her curvaceous body and had two long slits up the side to expose her shapely legs. She also wore a pair of fingerless gloves that reached up to just under her arms. She was without her usual cloak.

She just laughed and replied with, "**Snap out of it? My love, I am Raven, the true Raven. She had been denying what she truly was and that is what I am, her true self.**" She stroked his hair a bit before pulling him down to her face, pressing her lips to his in a passionate kiss. Shadow couldn't help but allow himself to be taken in. Her lips were so soft and she was so…beautiful. Her ruby red eyes and the blood red runes on her skin made her look like a blood goddess in his eyes. She slowly pushed him back onto the bed and began kissing him with even more fervor. Suddenly, his eyes snapped open before he pushed her away. Raven grinned sadistically as she licked the blood off her lips. She had been biting his lip while they were kissing.

"**What is the matter my love?**" she asked, crawling back to him and putting her hand on his cheek. "**Didn't you enjoy that?**" she began stroking it.

"Raven, this is not you," he reasoned with her.

"**Oh, but it is…this is my true self freed from my human bonds. Can't you see? I am now free…free!**" she straddled him and bent down to kiss his neck, "**Join me, my love.** **Together with me and my father, we can rule the universe…**" her mouth whispered into his ear as she began nibbling. Shadow sighed in contentment as his hands went up on their own accord, running up and down her well endowed curves. He knew this was wrong but it felt so good…

The temptation was too great…he was about to give in.

He did.

He rolled them over. She was now under him. She grinned as she watched his Mark of Sin glow and a third eye began to appear. Two additional pairs of red on black eyes began to open above his normal pair, which was also starting to change. His hair became spiky and his ears pointed. He licked his fangs, grinning lecherously. Staring back at Raven's four red eyes were Shadow's seven own eyes.

"**Let's play…"** he hissed, claiming her lips once again.

Raven kissed him back as he crushed his body on top of hers. He was hers and she was his. Nothing and no one was going to tear them apart.

Suddenly, Shadow saw flashes of images in his mind: The Titans, Earth, his friends and family. He could not succumb to his demonic side. He slowly began turning back and stopped what he was doing with Raven. She looked at him in confusion as the glow of the Mark of Sin died down and the 5 eyes disappeared. His hair had also turned back to normal and so did his ears.

She took the initiative and rolled him onto his back. She was not going to lose him now. If she had to seduce him all night long, so be it. She began kissing him all over, pressing her body against his own.

With all the willpower he had left, he pushed her off him. "No," he hissed firmly, sitting back up, panting.

"**Why not?**" she smirked, "**This is me, Raven, the one whom you love. This is my true self, the daughter of Trigon." **

Shadow just sulked, "Then you are not the one I fell in love with."

Raven frowned at this. She wasn't going to be denied and she would force him to except her, by bringing out the evil in him.

Raven put her hand on his shoulder, but before he could pull away, he was sent flying through the room before he impacted with a wall causing it to crumble down on top of him. Raven got up off her bed with a smile.

However, that smile soon turned to a horrified expression at what she saw; Shadow's bloodied arm sticking out of the rubble, not moving.

"No," said Raven in a soft tone. She fell to her knees as she began to change back. Her skin changed back to a pale grey color, the runes on her body faded away, her long black hair shrunk back and changed into the dark violet color. Finally her eyes changed back, the additional pair vanishing, but they welled up into tears as she began to cry.

Shadow was dead and it was her fault. Sure there were many people she knew that would say it wasn't her fault, but she knew the truth. Whether it was her demonic side that did this or her, it didn't matter. All she knew was that it was her fault that he was dead.

Shadow's hand slowly clenched into a fist as the rubble tumbled away. He sat up from the rubble and began brushing and dusting off bits and pieces of the rubble from his suit. Raven stopped as she saw Shadow, with several cuts and bruises on his body; but his body began to heal until it looked as if the whole thing never happened.

"First off: ouch!" he winced, "Second: I'm glad that you're back to normal, my little blackbird," he stood up and walked towards her before pulling her into a deep and loving embrace. She continued to cry into his chest apologizing for all that it was worth. He whispered his forgiveness into her ear, kissing her forehead and cheek. His hands ran up and down, comforting her. He then grinned lecherously as his hands wandered down some more…

SMACK!

Now his hands were on his cheeks that had sore red handprints on them. Raven glared at the Vampangel hotly.

"Yes, it really is you," he smiled before pulling her to him and kissing her passionately.

To Be Continued…


	96. PT096: Secret Passages

Part 96: Secret Passages

"Oh man! Oh man! Oh man!" Beast Boy panicked as he ran in circles.

"Can someone please shut him up?" Copycat said, annoyed, "He's giving me a headache with all his excessive whining!"

"Why don't you go hack up a hair ball?" Terra snapped. Copycat hissed.

Shadow had disappeared and now they feared the worst. Draco and Robin, of course, were talking to the Alpha Kaiser. All over the ground were the mutilated and mangled bodies of Trigon's minions, courtesy of the Kaisers.

"Can you take us to Trigon's palace?' Draco asked.

"**It will be both difficult and dangerous, Master Draco**," The Alpha Kaiser replied.

"We have to, anyway we can. Two of our friends are in danger," Robin pleaded to the Alpha Kaiser. The Alpha Kaiser seemed to be contemplating.

"**I seem to recall a secret underground entrance located under the ruins of one of the old Azarathian temples. Maybe you can use that to enter, if Trigon doesn't know about it of course. However, I doubt that its existence is not known to him.**"

"Scratch that plan then," Draco's feet played with the ground.

"We should take the secret entrance," Robin said.

"You sure?" Draco asked. "Like he said, it's both dangerous and difficult."

"So it's impossible?" Robin smirked, "If memory serves, the Titans have done the impossible."

Draco smiled back, despite the odds. He asked the Alpha Kaiser, "Can you take us there?"

The Alpha Kaiser appeared to smile, "**I shall take you. Some of my pack shall escort us as well, Master.**"

"Thank you," Draco smiled back.

The Alpha Kaiser then bowed its head down, "**Climb on**." Draco did as asked, followed by Robin, then Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Terra. Copycat was the one most reluctant.

"Do I have to?" Copycat gulped as she looked up at the gigantic Hellhound.

"Well, if you're scared!" Cyborg jeered.

"Move over!" Copycat climbed aboard the head and slid down the neck so that she now sat on the back with the rest of the Titans. She muttered, "I HATE dogs."

"And we hate you too," Terra mumbled. Copycat ignored her, but snarled under her helmet.

"**Let us go!**" The Alpha Kaiser howled before setting off, followed by a few off his pack. The Minotaur and the rest of the pack stood guard at the portal, ready to take on anything that dared to come close.

* * *

Back on Earth, in a dining restaurant, sat the Crusader known as Lance. He had revisited Jump City to pay Shadow another visit. He stopped for a bite to eat before he set out again and was currently reading the newspaper.

He was looking at an article about the current president and frowned. They had no idea that politicians were more of a cover up for the people who really ran and owned this country, which would be the big business industries. After all, Lance had been around long enough to know for a fact that this country had been bought and sold a long time ago and yet nobody to notice or care.

That was the trouble with humans, they tended to remain willfully ignorant of the fact that they were getting by the upper one percent of this country, but after all the United State's leaders and their people aren't the only who have done this.

Pharaohs of ancient Egypt had done similar things and the people still remained willfully ignorant of the fact that when they were following the command of a demi-god when they were actually being conned by a simple mortal family and bloodline.

It was somewhat ironic that the Sun God Ra was the reason of their Empire's fall. Ra was completely disgusted by the way his children were being mistreated and so instructed Moses in leading his people away from the ruling tyrants. The god that the Pharaohs and Queens of Egypt claimed to be descended from was their undoing.

Looking back at it, it was more of a poetic justice than irony, but then again it could be both as well.

As Lance looked at the paper a bit more he felt or rather heard a very distinct change in his surroundings. It had gotten quiet, too quiet. He remembered that it was bustling with chatter and noise and a child was crying. But for some reason it had stopped, and as Lance looked up from his paper he saw why.

Time had stopped.

People who were chatting and eating had completely stopped in their places. A waitress that was pouring coffee was stuck in place as the liquid that she was pouring froze in place before it touched the mug.

Lance turned his gaze outside and saw the same effect. Cars were frozen in time as well as a girl who was jumping rope on the side walk. Two cars that were about to collide with each other were frozen to their spots and a bird was in the air, its wings stopped as it was trapped in the same spell: The Chronos Spell.

The Chronos Spell was an ancient and very powerful arcane spell that allowed the user to stop, move forward, turn back, slow down and in some rare cases; control time.

The door opened and Lance went back to his reading. Footsteps were heard heading towards the Crusader as the being stopped in front of him.

Lance looked up from his paper, folded it in place and set it down before replaying, "Gabriel, how are you?"

Standing before the Crusader was the Archangel Gabriel. He was wearing a platinum colored armored chest plate with golden glowing angelic runes imprinted on them with armored gauntlets and boots. In his right hand was a book with a silver cross embedded into it clutched to his chest and in his left was a golden spear.

His facial features were nothing short of amazing, but where most would assume such a divine being would have a masculine and handsome face that would be beyond compare, they were more feminine than anything else. He had long golden hair that reached to the middle of his back and ruby red eyes that seemed to be out of place but made him all the more mystifying to look at. Last were his wings, white as the snow itself and radiated with a bluish aura, however one would have to have the ability to see the supernatural to see the glow; but it was there nonetheless.

In the times of old before the human race but long after the creation of the universe, Gabriel and Michael were legends in both Heaven and Earth. The two divine beings led the army of Heaven and pushed Lucifer's forces back where Jehovah sealed them away in the dimension that was later created into Hell.

Too many, such a visit from such a being was considered the most important and privileged among any mortal. But for Lance, it was considered just that, a visit. Lance and Gabriel, along with Michael and Antonio, were best friends. They had fought side-by-side and ridded the universe of much more menacing evils before Lucifer had turned.

Now Gabriel was known as the messenger of the Crusaders. He would give them the most vital of information and if it was very important he would appear in person.

The divine messenger of god nodded as he sat down and replied, "All is very well, thank you for asking."

"So, how's dad?"

Normally beings referred to Jehovah either by his name or just hinted. However all angels referred to the Christian god as either 'dad' or 'father,' whichever one was up to them.

"He's fine, but this isn't a social call Lance," said Gabriel as he grew a serious tone and expression.

Lance just sighed and said, "I know that Gabriel; so what's the information?"

"The Teen Titans and Copycat have entered the dimension of Azarath. Both Shadow and Raven have been captured and the rest of the Titans and Copycat are making their way to the secret underground entrance."

"So, why are you telling me this exactly?"

"There is a Mortikan Demon guarding the exit."

Lance looked at Gabriel as he said this, "Impossible, the Mortikans were destroyed at the end of the Dark Ages."

"That maybe so, but don't forget that you had to fight one a few years back, remember?"

Lance looked on thoughtful at the information. Mortikan Demons were the reason for the Dark Ages. Most people believed that the Dark Ages were a time of prejudice and new religion. But the truth was, the Dark Ages were a time from which mankind was on the verge of extinction.

Demons had become increasingly active during the beginning of the Dark Ages and were driving mankind into an Age of Darkness. Even The Order itself had a hard time covering up the attacks and destroying the creatures responsible.

The Mortikan Demons were the root of the problem. In the ancient demonic tongue their name meant 'Soul Eaters,' and it was because of that they were very difficult to kill or find.

The Mortikan Demons were able to shape shift into humans and completely hide their identities from both humans and angels or more specifically, the Crusaders.

During the end, both The Order and the Crusaders ended up hunting down the Mortikan Demons to extinction. Of course, a few did survive and if it wasn't for the help of a former Crusader named Mary Morsa, the Mortikans would have been able to resurrect their fallen brethren.

He knew that the Titans were no match against a demon like that; they were far more terrible and powerful than Molock or what most demons were.

"Very well, I'll help them."

Gabriel smiled as he got up and said, "Then I will take my leave then."

As Gabriel got up, he walked past Lance and out the door. As soon as the door closed though, the Chronos Spell that was in effect became null and void as the surroundings around Lance came back to speed.

He knew what he had to do, but first there was thing he needed to take care of, "Waitress, check please!"

* * *

The Titans, and Copycat, were riding on the Alpha Kaiser's back. They were on their way to find one of the secret passages, located under one of the various Azarathian temple ruins. Of course, Beast Boy was bored and kept asking questions.

Guess what he asked?

"Are we there yet?" Beast Boy asked.

"No," Robin answered.

5 minutes later…

"Are we there yet?"

"No," Cyborg and Robin replied.

Another 5 minutes later…

"Are we there yet?"

"No," Draco, Cyborg and Robin answered.

5 minutes later again…

"Are we there yet?"

"No," Draco, Cyborg, Robin and Terra answered.

5 more minutes later…

"Are we-" Beast Boy got cut off.

"IF YOU ASK 'ARE WE THERE YET' ONE MORE TIME, I'M GONNA RIP OUT YOUR TONGUE AND USE IT TO SLAP YOU AROUND!" Copycat screeched.

Beast Boy turned into a small turtle. Copycat had a smug look on her face.

* * *

A couple of miles away from the group a portal opened up and Lance stepped out into the barren wasteland of Azarath.

As he did, he buried his face in his right hand as he groaned. One would have to question why he was doing this, but the answer came in the form of a person or more specifically, a woman.

The woman stepped onto the barren wasteland known as Azarath wearing a red skintight bodysuit that left little to the imagination; she wore high-heeled spiked boots and was wielding a golden staff with a red gem on the top and a pointed end used for stabbing. She had bright red hair and matching eyes. Aside from her skin, it seemed that all of this woman was red.

"Why did I ever let you talk me into letting you come here Pandora?" asked Lance as he addressed the female looking Goth in red. To anyone, this woman would cause most men to stumble on their words because of the way she was dressed and her beauty, but all Lance gave her was an annoyed tone.

Pandora put a fist to her hip before replying, "Because you need help in this, that's why!"

To say she was angry would be an understatement. She was pissed off because she had offered her help to the only man she had ever loved and this was how he was reacting. Sure, she had known him over several thousand years ago, but this was the first time she had seen him in such a long time.

"Since when do I need help in killing a demon, let alone stalling for the key to kill him?"

Pandora just smirked as she replied, "One word, Box."

What she was referring to was the incident when she had opened the Box, the legendary Pandora's Box. During that time, Pandora grew up as a curious little girl and even when puberty set in she was still curious. But then again, that curiosity was what almost ended the world.

On her eighteenth birthday, Pandora received a mysterious Box that said, 'Do not open!'

But apparently whoever sent that Box (which is still a mystery even today) had neglected to know that if you put a sign that says 'do not open' or 'do not enter,' human beings and aliens alike will become curious an open it anyway.

And that was exactly what she did, and by doing so she caused the world to end in a single flash. She would have been destroyed had Lance not have intervened and saved the young woman.

The angelic warrior soon found out that only one that could close the Box was the one that opened it in the first place. Therefore, Lance took it upon himself to train Pandora to follow him through the hordes of demons guarding the Box and close it.

During that time of her training, she fell in love with Lance. After it was over, however, she learned the truth about the Crusaders. They were not allowed to have relationships with others or each other for that matter.

He had left and thus she had not seen him since. However, now she was back with him and she was wondering if she could get a second chance; but now wasn't the time to try because they had other matters to attend to.

Like the argument, "That was different Pandora and you know it."

She sighed and said, "You maybe right, but we still have a job to do."

"Yes, so let's avert our attention to the matter at hand."

As Lance said this, he turned to face a very large group of Omicrom Demons. They had albino white skin and were standing on all fours with glowing red eyes, along with the Mark of Scath on their forehead.

"So, do you want to take them or should I?" asked Pandora as she turned and she eyed the number of demons with disappointment. Such number and demons were not even a threat to her. These were Delta Class Demons and because of that, they were incredible weak. Well, maybe not to an ordinary human or someone just learning the supernatural, but weak compared to these two beings (Lance and Pandora).

"I'll take them," said Lance as he stepped forward while cracking his knuckles. He didn't expect this fight to last long or to even be hard, but he did expect it to end very fast, the truth was he wanted to remain unseen. Even though creatures like this weren't that big of a threat, they could still drag in a scout or even a sentry that could report their whereabouts to Trigon immediately.

The Omicrom Demons leaped at Lance, but the angelic warrior raised his hand and spoke, "Imagriniin Lusary."

Blue flames seem to seep out of his hand until it burst out into a flash of light, incinerating everything in front of him. After the light faded, the only thing left were ashes and very small fragments of bones.

"Come on, we have to get going," said Lance as he walked off in a sprint towards the Titans location.

* * *

The Titans had reached one of the ruined temples and got off the Alpha Kaiser.

"Stay here and stand guard, okay?" Draco commanded. The Alpha and the other Kaisers nodded.

"You're getting really good at that," Copycat complimented her brother.

"I know."

"Let's go team and be ready for anything," Robin took out a flashlight and they entered.

* * *

The inside of the temple matched the outside. It was like a tornado had hit, a tornado of death. There were bones buried under the rubble, they were the unlucky ones who had died when Trigon had arrived. They searched for a secret passage but found nothing.

"Hey Robin," Draco said, pointing at a wall, "Check this out."

Robin went over, "What is it?"

"Looks like writing, but I can't read it," Draco replied.

Copycat interjected, "But I can…It's the Prophecy…" she began reading it.

_"The Gem was born of evil's fire, _

_The Gem shall be His portal, _

_He comes to claim, he comes to sire, _

_The End of all things mortal." _

Robin muttered, "Yep, familiar."

"And here's another one," Copycat pointed and then read.

"_A woman shall call upon an angel fair, _

_But instead receive a burden heavy to bear, _

_Loyal worshippers shall come to her aid, _

_And in their realm shall be born a dark maid. _

_She shall be known by markings thus, _

_Violet orbs and silky dusk, _

_Skin as pale as death itself, _

_Power uncontrollable even to herself. _

_The road she walks will be cruel and hard, _

_She will trail a path of blood, _

_A bird of Darkness shall she be called, _

_In her wake will come Discord. _

_Cloaked in Darkness she shall be, _

_Ever yearning to be free, _

_Always shall this Princess of Night, _

_Struggle ever anon towards the light. _

_Utterly futile shall her struggles be, _

_For to destroy the world is her destiny, _

_Neither sword nor strength nor magical chant, _

_Shall hinder her from her predestined path. _

_Skies will burn, flesh will turn to stone, _

_The sun will set on mortal's world, never to rise again_."

(Thanks Tanyeera for letting me borrow this)

"Woah," Draco whistled, "Heavy stuff."

"It is, isn't it? I guess this was written here to remind anyone of what was gonna happen," Copycat looked it over. "I wonder…"

Copycat had neglected to read another piece of text, however:

_"A creature was born of Darkness as Light, _

_Bright as day and dark as night, _

_Its destiny is quite unclear, _

_For the burden adds year by year. _

_As the Pillar it must stand, _

_To bring Chaos or Order to the land, _

_Demons of Darkness, Angels of Light, _

_For unstoppable is its might. _

_The Day of Judgment is close at hand, _

_For the day shall come and it be damned, _

_To see what destiny it must face, _

_Or another shall take its place. _

_Angels of Heaven, Demons of Hell, _

_Which side it chooses shall toll the bell, _

_For in its hands the Fate of Earth, _

_It begins and ends with the… _

The rest of the text was unreadable as if it had been scratched off.

* * *

Beast Boy and Terra went into a room, which had tattered curtains, a bed and a nearly collapsing bookshelf.

"Nice décor," Terra commented sarcastically.

"Well, seems like the place Raven would've liked," Beast Boy went over to the book shelf and saw a book hanging out ever so slightly. "What's this?" he pulled it out and the shelf suddenly began shaking. The two Titans tensed up and then the bookshelf itself moved to the side to reveal a secret passageway.

Terra whipped out her communicator and spoke, "Robin, we found it."

"Good job you two."

* * *

The others went to Terra and BB's position and entered the passageway. Draco and Cyborg helped light up the way for the others as they went through the dark tunnel. Beast Boy shivered, "I don't like this."

Copycat rolled her eyes and then she shivered too. Draco noticed that his sister was shaking. "Oneechan, what's wrong?"

"I have a feeling that we're being watched."

"You're just paranoid, sis."

"I guess you're right," and then she tensed up. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Draco asked.

"It sounds like…chewing…?"

The other Titans listened and Copycat was right…they were not alone.

From the ceiling, something fell from the ceiling. The Titans jumped and screamed. Cyborg shone his light on it to inspect it and screamed too.

It was a skull…a Kaiser's skull…with still some meat on it and an eye sticking out of the sockets…they then heard something like mandibles clicking. Cyborg shone his light on it.

All the Titans screamed.

* * *

Inside the secret passageway, the Teen Titans were being chased by a Demon that somewhat resembled a spider. It had six spindly legs, 3 on each side, four black eyes, a mouth that dripped with acid saliva, two arms with four sharp claws at the tip and black tentacles lashing around as it tried to pin anyone of the Titans against the wall or the ground so it may feast on its prey.

The Titans, however, were running and jumping over the tentacles and sometimes ducking under them. It was impossible to fight that thing since if they did, the whole place could cave in right on top of them. So their only option was to run.

"Oh man, oh man, oh man!" yelled Beast Boy as he ducked under a tentacle, he went into a roll as he hopped to his feet and jumped over a tentacle that was going to trip him. "Not go-Woah!" Beast Boy's foot sank into the ground which made him stumble forward a bit, that's when the Spider-like demons saw its opportunity and slammed a tentacle into Beast Boy, knocking him down a blurring his vision.

The creature wasted no time in lumbering towards Beast Boy. However, it was cut short as a spiked rock slammed into the demon's face, "Get away from him!"

Terra had used her powers to jut a spike at the demon. It didn't hurt it, but it did stagger for a bit. Terra ran towards Beast Boy and picked him up by the arm as the demon hovered over them. It was about to attack, until it stopped and turned around.

The others seemed to be confused at this, until Cyborg's face became pale as he said, "Guys we need to get moving."

"What, why?" asked Copycat.

"RUN!" yelled Cyborg, not giving an explanation on why they do.

The Titans didn't bother to ask questions or even try and find out why he ran; they just did as he said. The demon was doing the same, except it wasn't trying to grab or eat any of the Titans. It was trying to pass them up.

Copycat looked back a bit as she ran to see what they were being chased by: it was lava, "YOU IDIOT!"

"Run now! Talk later!" yelled Draco as he seemed to be running faster as he saw the lava behind them.

"TITANS! MOVE IT!" Robin shouted.

They saw the exit up ahead, but the lava was closing in fast, the creature had passed them up and was making break for the exit.

As they got nearer everyone jumped out into the new area, as they did Cyborg turned in midair and fired off his cannon at the doorway, causing rubble to pile up and block the flow of lava.

The Titans got out safely. However, Copycat was none too pleased. She snarled and immediately lunged at Beast Boy, grabbed him by the front of his uniform and hauled him up to her face, "YOU NEARLYGOT US KILLED YOU STUPID EXCUSE OF A GRASS STAIN!"

"What? What did I do?" Beast Boy yelled out frantically.

"You tripped one of the booby traps, that's what!" She roared.

"Put him down, Oneechan," Draco told her, "Now!" Cyborg had his cannon aimed at the cat Knight.

"Drop him!" Cyborg warned.

Copycat glared at her brother and snarled before staring Beast Boy right in the eyes. With a disdained growl she dropped Beast Boy, on his rear no less.

"You need an attitude adjustment, Kat," Robin told her, "Remember that we're in this together."

"Together?" Copycat snorted, "I only came with you to save Slade-sama…remember that!"

"Gar, you okay?" Terra helped Beast Boy up.

"I'm fine Terra," Beast Boy smiled.

"That wasn't necessary," Terra said to Copycat.

"He almost got us killed, tripping that booby trap," Copycat hissed.

"Well, it could've happened to anybody," Draco defended.

"Not me…" Kat said dangerously.

"We have bigger things on our hand now," said Robin as he pulled out his Bo staff and pointed to the Spider-like demon. It was getting up and clicking its mandibles as it did. It turned around and was going to advance on the Titans until its foot hit something. It looked down and saw a Kaiser's skull. It began to take in its surrounding environment; millions of demonic bones littered the ground, skulls, ribcages, and some that were still decaying.

The place was like a huge cavern, stalactites of icy acid hung down from the ceiling while small pools of acid were on the floor, a stalactite feeding the pool the substance it needed to grow.

"Oh great, we just walked into its crib, yo," said Cyborg as he prepped his cannon and readied it for fire.

"I don't think so," said Robin as he observed its movements, "This demon is acting as if it's never been in here."

"So you mean something just like it will come?" asked Terra in a terrified tone. She was seriously starting to get scared at all of the demons that just kept popping out of no where. She was going to have nightmares about this place for weeks, which she was sure of that.

"Or something worse," said Copycat with a smile on her face. She liked the fact that this girl was so terrified of this place. But truth be told, she was scared as well, not as much as the traitor but just as well. She didn't like how demons chose to live in certain areas. Some decided on the dark narrow corners, while others chose grimy icy acid ceiling caverns.

She was wishing that she was somewhere other than here right now.

The demon began backing away in fear, but it didn't get far as something plowed right into it causing the entire cavern to shake. Some small icy fragments of the ceiling broke off as they landed on the ground. They broke apart into acid which ate away at the floor quickly.

The smoke that had picked up quickly subsided to reveal what looked like a male human being who was standing on top of the creature. He was 7 feet tall and had large rippling muscles, like a body builder on steroids, and a mane of long golden hair. He had slightly pointed ears and his nails looked like sharp claws. His eyes were blood red. He appeared to be wearing black leather pants and no footwear. He hopped off and as he did he spoke in an ethereal tone, "Sorry, but they are my food. So get your own!"

And with one swift kick, the demon was sent into one of the pools of acid. It began to screech and try and swim its way out but it was no use, the acid began to eat away at its skin quickly as it began to sink into the acid pool. Soon enough, the screeching stopped and the struggling became no more as the skeleton of the demon came floating to the top for a moment, until it sank back as it was being devoured by the acid.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here? Humans, interesting, I didn't think there were any left after I devoured the souls of those unfortunates that didn't make it into this passageway," said the demon in a surprised yet joyful tone.

"You…you did what?" asked Copycat in enraged tone. She couldn't believe it; this monster had killed all of those people within the temple.

The demon gave a bow as it spoke, "The children were the best I might add. The younger and innocent they were, the tastier the souls as well."

"You…MONSTER!!" yelled Robin as he charged forward. He took out two birdarangs and combined them together to create a sword. He brought it down on the demon in a vertical slash, but the demon only dodged to the side. Robin shifted the blade over as he swung a diagonal right slash, only to have the demon catch the blade in between his index finger and thumb.

"Monster? Don't insult me, I'm a Mortikan Demon."

As he said this, Robin's eyes began to grow heavy and glaze over as he felt something tug in the pit of his stomach.

((Aibou! Stop him! He's trying to eat Robin's soul!)) yelled Yaminekoryu.

Draco didn't ask how, but he knew that he had to stop this. He rushed forward as he activated his pyrokinesis, engulfing his hands in fire.

The Mortikan Demon saw this and rammed his elbow into Robin's chest before he could finish his meal. The blow was hard enough to send the fearless leader crashing straight into Draco. They tumbled on the ground until they threw themselves to their feet.

The Demon was standing there with Robin's sword between his index and middle finger until he snapped the blade in two as if it was a twig, "Titanium alloy, not very effective when not coated with a bit of Enth Steel."

He tossed the two pieces to the side as he looked at the group and said, "The exit is over there." He jerked his thumb towards a stairwell at the other side of the cavern and said, "You can reach it; that is if you can get pass me of course, and I range in the same power and class as Molock."

"I don't care how powerful you are. If you're responsible for the death of those people; you're going down!" yelled Robin as he took out his Bo staff and got into a fighting pose. The others did the same as they poised, ready for battle, "Titans, GO!"

To Be Continued…


	97. PT097: Worrying

Part 97: Worrying

Back on Earth, in Titans Tower, everyone was terribly worried. But no one was more worried than the girls. Jinx was pacing back and forth in the living room. She couldn't understand why they had been gone so long; they should have been back by now. It had been three days since they had gone into the portal and she hadn't seen them since.

So far she hadn't been able to sleep, fearing what was happening to Draco. She was also afraid that he might have been turned over to Trigon's side or even…

She stopped to shake her head; she couldn't think like that, Draco would rather die than serve the forces of evil. But she didn't want that either. She wished it had been her that went through the portal instead or at least gone with him.

Starfire was sitting down, biting at her nails; she was just as worried as Jinx was. She wouldn't be able to live with herself if something had happened to Robin. They were starting go even deeper with their relationship and she wouldn't be able to bear it if Robin had gotten killed.

Pluto was reading a magazine, but despite what he was giving off, he was also worried. He couldn't believe he had been put in charge while they were gone. Normally he thought something like that would never happen, but it did. He wished however that it wasn't under these circumstances. He should have gone with them. He shouldn't be sitting here worrying himself to death.

Venus was also worried, but was trying her hardest not to show it. She and Katherine used to be good friends, until she was revealed as Copycat. But even though they were no longer friends, she still considered her as one.

Venus was also worried about Joey, she was wondering about his safety and if he was at all safe there. If he had been killed, she would hunt down any followers of Trigon until she came to the High Demon Lord himself if the group had failed.

Blackfire was the least bit worried, but still worried nonetheless. The Titans that had gone to Azarath (minus Copycat of course) were her friends. Not to mention one of them was her sister's boyfriend. She had patched things up with her sister and even more so after Acro had come to save them from Bushydo's wrath.

Jinx saw Venus sitting down, trying to become preoccupied with a crossword puzzle to get her mind off of worrying. Jinx sat down next to Venus and said, "You don't have to pretend you're not worried."

Venus just sighed as she put the crossword puzzle down and said, "I know, it just helps me take my mind off of what might have happened to them."

Jinx nodded, "So, have you found anyone special by any chance?"

Jinx had asked because she was hearing rumors that the Titans East member, Venus, had a boyfriend. She wasn't sure about it and she didn't rely too much on rumors, so she went straight to the source.

"Yeah, his name is Joey," said Venus, she didn't want to reveal to her that Joey was actually Scizzors. She had found out the hard way. When she and Joey went on a date, a Mirror Monster attacked. After the creature was destroyed, they were flung out of the Mirror Dimension and their armors shattered.

At first she was overjoyed; she thought that they could fight crime side-by-side. But then she learned the horrible truth from her brother about Joey; he was a member of Team Tartarus. At that moment she refused to believe him, that he WAS a member of Tartarus. Of course she found out the hard way, when she and Joey went on another date, she followed the young man to his home to find out the truth.

When she did, she was shocked beyond imagination. She thought that he was using her to get close to the Titans and kill them. She thought he had betrayed her. It wouldn't be a surprise since she knew of how Slade had manipulated Terra into destroying the Titans.

They broke up after that, but when she heard that he was injured, Venus had healed him. Despite the feelings of betrayal, she felt she still loved him. She even wondered if he actually was using her at all. She knew how good people could act, but his shock was too real to just be an act.

Jinx nodded and smiled, "That's good to know. So, is he good to you?"

She smiled weakly and said, "I accused him of using me, but now I'm wondering if he did it intentionally. I may have felt a little betrayed, but I still love him." Erika would never tell her brother, Takada, of Joey's identity as Scizzors, less he go all crazy over nothing.

Just then the alarms were suddenly blaring. "Intruder!" yelled Pluto as he jumped to his feet.

They were able to get to the ground floor, only to find Ekelo standing in the middle of a wrecked room as he was holding the head of a security robot. He observed it for a moment before he chucked it behind him and said, "You people seriously need to improve on the security."

"Ekelo! What are you doing here?" asked Pluto as he approached the half-demon.

"Word going around in the supernatural world is that some members of your team have gone to Azarath to stop Trigon," said Ekelo as he looked at the members of the team. He saw that Robin, Shadow, Beast Boy, Terra, Cyborg and Draco were gone. He also noticed someone he had never seen before, but based on the description Pluto had given him, he was sure of whom it was: she was Venus, Pluto's younger sister.

"So, you decided you wanted to help them?" asked Pluto, wondering why he was here.

"No, actually I came to both inform and help you. There are rumors stating that portals to Azarath will be popping up over numerous places in the world soon, feeding in Trigon's army."

"So… they lost?" asked Jinx in a terrified tone.

"No, they didn't lose. From what I know is that they are still alive."

"How?"

"The time in Azarath and Earth are different. While it's been days in this dimension, it's only been a few hours in Azarath."

"So, do you know if they may be alright?" asked Starfire in wonderment.

He closed his eyes as he tried to remember the exact details, "Last I heard, the team was facing a Soul Eater, also Lance and Pandora are going to be aiding them."

"Soul Eater?" asked Blackfire wondering what it was. Apparently he knew a lot about demons, it wasn't surprising considering he was half demon. But a demon called Soul Eater didn't sound very good.

"They are ancient demons that were driven into extinction at the end of the Dark Ages. Also known as Mortikans, only a few escaped and went to different dimensions. They are incredibly powerful and range in the same class as Molock."

At that moment, they became terrified at the thought of having their friends facing a demon as powerful as Molock. Most of them still remembered how they narrowly escaped from being killed by that being.

"Then we have to save them!" yelled Jinx as she bolted for the stairs. Ekelo appeared out of nowhere as he stood in her way, "Get out of the way Ekelo!"

"Look, we have to stay and stem the tide of demons that will be coming here," said Ekelo as he stood his ground, just daring her to try and pass him. Ekelo sensed something, "We have to move into the city, a demonic portal just opened up."

He moved out of the way and went towards the door. He stopped and looked to see everyone else still standing where they were, "Well? What are you waiting for? The destruction of Earth waits for no one."

* * *

Saying the city was in chaos would be an understatement. In fact, it was complete pandemonium. People were screaming and running around in a panic as police forces attempted to subdue the threats. There was a large gaping portal of fire and coming through it were hordes upon hordes of fire demons, the same ones that Slade had used when he attacked the Tower with the Deathtrons. These monsters were black silhouettes without legs and were made of blazing hellfire as they caused widespread panic and terror, attacking the citizens and blasting fire at the police forces. Some people were heavily wounded and there was a possibility that others had been killed.

Pluto, now leading a team of Titans made up of Blackfire, Starfire, Jinx and his sister Venus, arrived on the scene riding his ZX-Motor Majin. Jinx was riding Draco's ZX-Dragchaser while Venus rode the ZX-Shadow Basher.

Ekelo was with them as well to assist them against the fire demons, which Ekelo had called Blazor Demons.

"I'll try to close the portal," Ekelo said firmly, eyes glowing white and fists glowing black, "You all take care of those Blazor Demons."

"Right!" Pluto nodded. He and Venus were already in their Zodiac Armors. He drew out his sword and shouted in the most commanding voice he could muster, "TEEN TITANS! GO!" He ran into battle, followed by the girls. Ekelo cracked his knuckles.

Pluto charged his sword up with electricity and began slashing at the Blazors. However, each time he did, two would take the place of their fallen and attack the Dog Knight in retaliation. Pluto's eyes narrowed under his visor as he raised up several overturned cars telekinetically and smashed them upon 5 or 6 Blazors. More kept coming and he shot out a lightning bolt that destroyed them. When he saw several more surrounding him, he went, "Oh you want more? Here, have some more!" his hands morphed into a pair of cannons and he shot electro beams at the demons.

The pair of alien powerhouses who were related by blood as sisters, Blackfire and Starfire, were floating back to back, firing Starbolts and Blackbolts at the demons surrounding them.

"These things just keep coming!" Blackfire yelled, "What do we do?"

"We keep fighting!" Starfire yelled and sent out a powerful blast that dealt with about twelve of the savage creatures.

"You're talking my language little sis!" Blackfire grinned as she too fired a large blast that decimated nearly double the number that Starfire had dealt with. "Oh yeah, double damage!"

Jinx was using her hex power at the demons. It seemed that her hexes were quite effective on the demons as the demons spontaneously combusted when the hexes made contact. She was getting too wrapped up in her blasting that she failed to notice one coming up behind her, ready to blast her with a fireball. However, the aforementioned blast never came as a golden glaive slash sliced it clean in half. The glaive user was Venus, accompanied by her Zodiac Beast known as Whitewing the swan.

"Thanks," Jinx commented.

"No problem," Venus nodded and drew her Final Vent card, "Let's end this. Final Vent!" Her Whitewing went flying into the air and behind a few Blazors, flapping its wings wildly. The flapping created a powerful windstorm that blew the demons straight towards the Knight of Virgo. Venus got ready with her Swan Glaive (Sword Vent), yelling out, "MISTY SLASH!" as she slashed the unlucky demons to pieces with precise swipes of her double bladed pole arm. Pluto saw the signal and activated his own Final Vent.

"DEADLY IMMORTAL'S DRILL!" he plowed right through a mass of demons as a spinning drill.

It would seem that the numbers of opponents were dwindling, but they were not as they kept coming through the portal. Ekelo was trying to get to the portal but was being blocked by a makeshift barricade of Blazor Demons. He slammed them away with his fists, now coated with shadow energy and tore right through them. However, no matter how hard he tried, there were still too many. There were burn marks on his chest as he got blasted by a few of the demons. Luckily, his wounds were healing fast due to his demonic heritage.

Pluto had drawn out his XL-Vent card and slid it into his belt buckle, "XL-Vent: Excel Active," activating his Excel Suit. He activated the DOG-Torch and attached to his right boot before drawing his Cerberus card and sliding it into his buckle. He then pressed a button on his SB-Watch, "Excel Charge." He leapt up and fired a sapphire blue energy drill before kicking out his leg, "HELL DRILL STRIKER!" he drilled right through the demons. He removed a camera from his belt and strapped it to his right fist. "Excel Charge!" He plowed his fist into 5 more demons, "HELL SHOT!" However, more demons kept coming. Pluto's Cyberdog then barked into the scene, transforming into its blaster cannon mode. "Say hello and goodbye to my little friend!" Pluto grabbed the weapon and began blasting the demons to smithereens.

"There's too many!" Blackfire yelled, blasting at the demons.

"Well then, let's even the odds, shall we?" Pluto drew another card and slid it into his sword. "Trick Vent: Duplication!" A hundred Pluto clones appeared, "ATTACK!" Pluto commanded and the duplicates did just that, "That will buy us some time," he said, "Hopefully." He spoke into his SB-Watch, "Motor Majin: Battle Mode." His blue and silver motorcycle transformed into its humanoid robot battle mode and began to assist the Titans against the demons, shooting at the demons with its gattling gun wheel. Pluto then drew out his DOG-Phone and changed it to blaster mode, shooting a few demons right after, blasting with his Cyber-Blaster as well.

Blackfire and Jinx joined their powers together and fired a mixed beam of pink and violet energy. The force of destruction was quite powerful as it destroyed an entire horde on its own. Venus was slashing like crazy, now with her Swan Shield (Guard Vent) to defend herself more affectively. She had abandoned her glaive and returned to her rapier. She moved gracefully, slashing and stabbing at the demons, making them disappear. She then spoke into an SB-Watch that her brother had given her and said, "Shadow Basher: Battle Mode." The motorcycle and sidecar transformed into the 12 foot tall robotic battle walker and it began firing missiles and photon blasts at the demons. The Jet Slinger was attacking on AI, firing its sidewinder heat seekers at a few demons as well.

Starfire just kept blasting as many as she could with her eyebeams and Starbolt blasts.

Ekelo had reached the portal. Now he had to figure out how to close it. He needed a portal closing spell. Unfortunately, he did not know one. A few demons dog-piled him and he had just about had it. He threw them off with his shadow powers and sliced them to pieces with his shadow discs. He turned back to the portal, "There has to be a way to close this thing," he muttered. Sure enough, the portal began to shrink. Ekelo raised his eyebrow in confusion when the portal shrunk into non-existence. "Well, that was easy."

The Titans and Ekelo were now finishing off what was left of the demonic horde. The Dog Knight then drew out his Survivor Card and slid it into his scabbard. "SURVIVE!" now in his Survivor Mode armor, he drew the sword out and began stabbing and slashing the demons mercilessly. Pluto finally activated his Final Vent, "SURVIVOR FINAL VENT: DARK TORPEDO!" and rammed through the demons, sending them to oblivion. When the horde had been completely vaporized, the girls cheered. However, Pluto was staring at his DOG-Phone grimly.

"Guys, I'm getting reports from all over about portals showing up and demons coming in. There are reports from Steel City, San Francisco, New York, Amity Park, Tremorton, Middleton, Beverly Hills, Orchid Bay and…" he gasped. "Oh my God, it's an invasion!"

"These portals are opening and closing at random," Ekelo assessed, "They are fluctuating and because of that demons are starting to crossover." He continued, "It's all starting here in America and soon it will spread all over the world. It will become worse when Trigon comes."

"Why don't I like the sound of that?" Blackfire moaned.

To Be Continued…


	98. PT098: Xtreme Measures

Part 98: X-Treme Measures

Shadow and Raven were still in the bedchambers. Raven was sitting on the bed while Shadow was pacing around. He was thinking.

"This is becoming most complex," Shadow muttered half to himself and half to Raven.

"How so?" Raven questioned.

"Well, for one, Trigon is becoming quite desperate in wanting to be released, but he hasn't made anymore drastic moves…Why?"

"I guess, since he's already got all the pieces, you and me, he doesn't need to try so hard. Maybe he thinks he has the upper hand now?" Raven supplied.

"True…very true…" Shadow ruffled his own hair in frustration, "Damn, if only I still had my Zodiac Deck!"

"My father has your deck and armor, doesn't he?" Raven asked fearfully.

"He does. Let's just hope he hasn't figured out how they work yet," Shadow said worriedly. He then noticed that he still had his SB-Watch on, "Wait a minute…" he grinned, "It seems that they forgot something."

"What?" Raven asked.

"Well…" Shadow trailed off. He heard footsteps coming over towards the bedchamber. He turned to Raven, "Raven, quickly, turn into your demonic form!"

"What? Why?" Raven questioned, both panicked and confused.

Shadow shifted to his vampiric form, "Just do it!" before he tackled her onto the bed.

One of Trigon's minions peaked into the chamber. It looked like a small goblin, "Um…mistress Raven…" it asked fearfully. He then saw that Shadow was on top of Raven and kissing her passionately.

"**Go away**!" Raven snarled, four red eyes glowing angrily. The goblin squeaked and its head slipped out, leaving the couple alone. When they made sure that the guy was out of earshot, they reverted to their normal forms. Shadow helped Raven up.

"A 'fake out-make out'?" Raven questioned with a quirked eyebrow.

"Danny and Sam mentioned it to me once," Shadow said, licking his lips. He looked at his watch and gulped, "Raven…remember back on Gaijo when I said that I would tell you all my secrets when I was ready?"

"Yes…?" What was Shadow going at with this?

"Well…there's another secret I haven't told you, but I think it will be easier if I just…show you." He pressed the button on his watch and closed his eyes. Raven watched and gasped as Shadow's bodysuit changed. On his chest was a large red 'X' and the same mark was on his shoulder pads, knee pads and elbow pads as well as on the palm and back of his gloves. A tattered black cape with red lining hung from his shoulders and finally, a white skull mask covered over his head.

Raven was in disbelief. Shadow was Red-X!

"How…when…?" she began to ask.

Shadow sighed, pulling off the mask. This was the part he hated, "It was during Terra's betrayal when she allowed Slade's robot commandoes to break into the Tower. The robots damaged the Tower greatly, and one got into the evidence room, breaking into the vault and stealing Robin's Red-X suit. I intercepted that robot in an alley and stole the suit from him." Now was the part where he explained WHY he had been there, "Raven, you may not like this, but I was there…I was there…to kill you."

Raven's eyes widened and she lost her voice, but her expression spoke for her.

"I told you that I was a member of Yoshido's Black Knights Guild, didn't I? I never told you why I really left; the reason," Shadow paused, "The reason was…because I…"

SLAP!

There was a large red hand print on his face. He turned to see Raven, her eyes were narrowed, her eyebrows were knitted and she was…crying. "You lied to me." She was angry, felt betrayed, and even worst, heartbroken. But she needed to know.

"I had no choice Ra-"

"BULLSHIT!" Shadow was taken aback since he had never heard her curse THAT loudly, "There's always a choice, but you decided to lead me on and lie to me, keeping secrets from everyone…but you even kept them from me. Didn't you trust me?"

"I do…but it's just…it's just not that easy…"

"Don't talk…I don't want to listen…I've had enough…"

"But…"

"I SAID SHUT UP!" she turned demonic and flung him across the room. Shadow groaned. She had every right to be upset, but now was not the time for that…really, it wasn't. He sighed…it may not have been a good idea, but he had to tell her.

He had to, because he may just die for what he was about to do. He whispered, "I love you…Raven." He was planning…to destroy Trigon, even if it cost him his life.

* * *

Beast Boy trumpeted loudly in the form of a wooly mammoth, charging at the Mortikan, tusks out and ready to impale the demon. The demon yawned in a bored manner. "Is that all you have?" the Mortikan mocked as he grabbed Beast Boy by the tusks and whirled the green Titan around before throwing him away like yesterday's garbage.

Terra rode upon a wave of earth and threw stone spikes upon the Mortikan. Like with Beast Boy, he just stood there as he pummeled the rock spikes to pieces with his bare fists. Terra then buried him under the dirt, but he just smashed himself out.

Cyborg aimed his sonic cannon and fired a concentrated sonic beam at the Mortikan. The demon simply turned around and raised his hand, opening the palm and just absorbed the beam. Cyborg was shocked. The Mortikan sneered, "How about a taste of your own medicine?" He then threw the blast back, at double the force, throwing Cyborg back. Cyborg smashed into a wall.

Robin threw his birdarangs and explosives discs at the powerful demon, but the demon just stood and took the blasts and explosives. Nothing seemed to faze him

Draco and Copycat were going over a plan together before the Dragon Knight shouted, "Robin! Get out of here with the others while we take this creep down!"

Robin gave the Knights a thumb's up before mumbling, "I sure hope you two know what you're doing."

Draco and Copycat slowly advanced towards the Mortikan, who had his arms crossed. He said to them, "Master Trigon told me to be extra careful with you two seeing that you are both Zodiac Knights." He paused, "Yes, I know of you so called Knights and I'm telling you both now that you don't stand a chance." He then looked over his shoulder as the Titans made their way towards the stairwell. "But first…" he suddenly trailed off before vanishing.

Cyborg, Terra, Beast Boy and Robin were close to the stairwell when the Mortikan demon suddenly appeared before them. "I said you had to get pass me first, humans!" he then blew them away with punches and kicks, sending them flying. Draco and Copycat caught them with their telekinesis. The Mortikan then cracked his neck. "It wouldn't be fun without ALL of you here. Plus," he eyed Draco, "A lot of you have very delicious souls and it has been a very long time since I had a decent meal."

"You are sick!" Copycat spat.

"I'll take that as a compliment, my dear." The Mortikan crouched down. "Now, as you humans would say…LET'S RUMBLE!" he roared and made a dash towards the heroes and one villain.

* * *

Shadow and Raven snuck out of the bedchamber unnoticed. Raven had gotten back into her uniform but still refused to talk to Shadow. He couldn't really blame her. He deserved the silent treatment for all the lies he had told and secrets he had kept. But right now, his only priority was to find his Zodiac Deck and get Raven to safety. Also, he was going to send Trigon to Hell, without a return ticket.

Shadow heard footsteps and he took Raven's hand, leaning against the wall. Concentrating on the Snake Power, he turned both of themselves invisible. Two of Trigon's guards walked pass them, patrolling the large palace. When they were out of sight, Shadow and Raven turned visible again. Raven pulled her hand away and glared at him. He averted his gaze. They then walked on.

Following his senses, Shadow arrived in front of a large door with various demonic runes on it. He could feel the Snake Deck calling him. Shadow was suspicious as he looked left and right. There were no guards around from near nor yonder, which was strange. Shouldn't there be guards posted near his deck? Despite his suspicions, he pushed the door open…When the door was wide open; Shadow was in for a shocker…

Inside the room were dozens of heavily armed guards, ready to eliminate any and all trespassers. Shadow hissed at his folly. "Oh dear." Raven decided to make a crack.

"Nice going genius," she muttered sarcastically. Shadow smiled; at least she was talking to him. Cracking his neck, he went into a battle pose and did a come hither motion with his hands.

"Let's dance." Shadow produced a pair of X-Blades.

* * *

BOOM!

Beast Boy was roughly thrown into a wall as Cyborg slammed right on top of him.

SMASH!

Copycat winced, "That is gonna hurt in the morning." She turned her attention to the Mortikan. She drew a card and slid it into her whip. "Sword Vent: Psycho Slasher." A spiked black lance appeared in her hands. She ran at the Mortikan and began slashing like crazy, jumping up to land quick and swift kicks with her legs. The Mortikan blocked them all and then leaned back to smash his toes into Copycat's chin sending her flying upwards.

"HOW ABOUT A TRIP?" Terra shouted as she caused a slight tremor to throw the demon off balance. Draco provided cover fire, literally, as he fired out a jet of flames from his hands. The Mortikan seemed unfazed as he ran through the flames and grabbing both Draco and Terra by their necks.

"You two have very delicious souls." He sniffed Draco, "You especially…you have a certain demonic scent over yours." Using the Zodiac Power of Scorpio, Draco blasted sand into the Mortikan's eyes. The Mortikan howled, "CAN'T SEE!" Draco kicked him in the chest with both feet, making him let go of him and Terra, who was gasping for breath.

"Double team?" Draco offered and Terra nodded. Draco used the Zodiac Power of Capricorn and Terra used her geokinesis to pull several large masses of dirt and stone out of the ground before throwing them at the Mortikan. Because of his momentary blindness, he was unable to see it coming and was unable to dodge. Draco swung his arm up and pulled up a jagged piece of stone before slamming his foot on the ground. Several jagged rocks rose up in a straight line towards the Mortikan and smashed right into him.

Terra whistled. "Mind teaching me that move?"

Draco nodded, "Sure."

The Mortikan roared and threw a large stone boulder at them. Draco and Terra just sent it right back at him. The Mortikan just blasted the boulder with a powerful punch, sending pieces of it flying everywhere.

Robin continued to attack from long range with Cyborg, throwing explosive discs and sonic blasting the Mortikan in the back. The Mortikan, annoyed, charged at the two heroes and knocked Cyborg aside with a vicious right hook and slamming Robin away with a jab to the stomach. The force of the punch would have broken a few ribs and killed the Boy Wonder, but the Mortikan wanted to keep him alive to feast on his soul later. Robin vomited blood.

Cyborg got up and tackled the Mortikan in the back. The Mortikan, however, recovered quickly and threw a fist at Cyborg, who grabbed it. Cyborg threw his own punch, and the Mortikan caught it instead. They struggled, pushing against one another, trying to take the other down to submission.

Copycat was whispering to a green hummingbird. She then said, "Got it?" Beast Boy nodded. "Good." She drew her XL-Vent card and slid it into her belt buckle, "Excel Active." Copycat activated her CAT-Sky Attacker and rose into the air.

Beast Boy, as a fly, buzzed straight into the Mortikan's ear. Beast Boy was thinking mischievously, _'Let's see if this guy's eardrums are invincible…' _He chuckled in his mind.

The Mortikan then started to feel strange. His ear was itching, the itching then turned into intense pain. He let go of Cyborg and he started to thrash around, holding his hands over his ears, screaming bloody murder in an unknown (probably demonic) tongue. The Titans watched in amusement and Copycat cackled in the air. She aimed her laser blasters and fired upon the Mortikan. He wasn't even flinching as the laser fire rained in on him as he was too busy thrashing insanely. She stopped firing and just enjoyed watching the Mortikan make an ass of himself as he smashed his head upon the ground, trying to get the pain to go away…while hurting himself as well.

During the Mortikan's confusion, Draco, Cyborg, Terra, Copycat and Robin started their attack again. Cyborg fired his shoulder missiles, Draco fired a freeze ray, Copycat launched her Sky Attacker's missiles, Robin threw his explosive birdarangs and Terra threw several stone spikes at him.

The freeze ray froze the Mortikan's body in a layer of ice, keeping him still as missiles, birdarangs and stone spikes smashed into him and exploded upon contact.

Beast Boy buzzed towards the others and reverted to human form. He asked hopefully, "Did we get him?"

* * *

Shadow sliced the last guard in half with an X-Blade before looking around at his handiwork. The demonic guards were all strewn all over the room, dead as doornails. There was blood all over the room, the floor, ceiling and walls. Raven tilted her head as she looked at the mess Shadow had done on his own. Raven hadn't help, she was still a little miffed at him, but Shadow still did well on his own anyway.

There was demon blood all over Shadow's uniform, but he could care less. Marching over to where his deck was, which was upon a small podium. He snatched it away and pocketed it. He said to Raven, "Let's go."

Raven glared at him as she led the way…towards Trigon's throne room.

* * *

The smoke cleared, revealing the Mortikan to be perfectly unharmed. He opened his mouth and fired a powerful beam of demonic energy.

"MOVE IT!" Draco shouted, grabbing onto Cyborg and Robin. Copycat grabbed onto Terra and Beast Boy, around their waists, and flew them out of the target zone.

The blast caused the cavern the shake, the large pools of acid rippled as the stalactites fell and shattered upon impact, eating the ground away. Great, more holes to trip over.

"You…saved us?" Terra asked in an astonished tone at Copycat.

"Thank me later…this guy isn't going down," Copycat analyzed, "Yet."

Draco, Cyborg and Robin were at one end of the cavern while Copycat, Terra and Beast Bow were in the air, careful as not to hit the acidic stalactites. Draco then had a devious idea as he eyed the stalactites hanging over the Mortikan. They were shaking and ready to fall…just one more tremor…or a few well aimed shots.

"This may just last 10 seconds…but what else can I do?" Draco spoke into his SB-Watch, "Axel Start up!" the timer set itself to 10 seconds and Draco's Excel Streams turned silver and his green eyepieces turned red. He then ran towards the Mortikan at blinding superhuman speed. The Mortikan saw this and sped up himself.

Everything stopped to a standstill around the two combatants as Draco and the Mortikan traded blows. A blade popped out of Draco's Dragauntlet and he swung the weapon, slashing the demon's skin. The Soul Metal blade was able to make a cut as black blood oozed out of the wound.

The Titans, meanwhile, could no longer keep track of Draco and the Mortikan's movements. The demon and Knight appeared as blurs as they fought around the cavern. None of the Titans could see them…but a certain Knight of Cats could.

Draco and the Mortikan continued to trade blows. As they fought, they conversed.

"Impressive," the demon commented, "No one has ever matched speeds with me. You've earned my respect."

"Thanks…I guess," Draco replied.

Draco drew his DRA-Blaster and fired a shot that pushed the Mortikan away. Running at the demon, Draco stabbed and slashed with the Dragblade. When the Mortikan made a grab for him, he retracted the blade and fired a grapple claw that imbedded itself upon the ceiling. The grapple line pulled him up and Draco fired some shots at the suspending acid spikes. He then lengthened the line and swung himself down, kicking the demon in the face. He swung back around and kicked the demon in the face again, this time with his heel, sending the Mortikan spiraling to the ground. Draco pulled the Dragrapple Claw back into his Dragauntlet and landed on good old terra firma.

Draco was running out of time. He only had 5 seconds left before he timed out. Ramming a fist into the demon's body, he aimed his DRA-Blaster at the ceiling and fired several shots at the suspending acid stalactites. He then thrust out his hand and fired a freeze ray that froze the Mortikan in his tracks.

"3…2…1…Time Over…" Draco's Excel Suit deactivated with the Axel System. The stalactites dropped down and smashed upon the Mortikan, burning his skin with acid. The demon howled as the acid ate away at his skin. The Titans saw this and figured out the demon's weakness.

"THE POOLS!" Robin shouted. Robin threw several explosive discs into some of the acidic pools close to the demon. Terra used her power to create a sort of deep trench for the acid to travel through, creating a sort of acid river. The acid spilled out and ate through the ground, but Terra was able to keep it in.

Copycat, meanwhile, landed and was taking out her CAT-Phone. She connected it upon a port on her CAT-Sky Attacker's controls. The missile launchers swung over her shoulders and the photon cannons under the laser blasters charged up. A targeting scope swung over her left eye, locking onto the Mortikan. She purred, "Say goodnight, Mortie." She dug her feet into the ground and pressed the triggers and fired. Missiles, lasers and photon blasts fired over and over again upon the Mortikan, smashing into him. The demon roared as he was being pelted by photon energy and laser fire as the missiles exploded on impact with his body, pushing him further back.

The bombs in the acid pools blew up and soaked the demon in acid, eating through his flesh to the bone. Cyborg blasted the demon back and Terra rerouted the river behind the monster.

Draco then whispered into his DRA-Blaster, "Burst Mode" and then fired a concentrated energy blast. The blasts pushed the demon right into the river.

"NOOOOOOOO!!!" The demon roared and howled, thrashing in the acid river. His muscular arms were now reduced to skeletal ones as the acid continued to eat through his flesh and corrode him to the bone.

Beast Boy stuck out his tongue, watching the Mortikan die. "Gross!"

"You can say that again Gar," Terra agreed.

Soon, the demon sank into the deep acid river that Terra had made. Copycat's Sky Attacker deactivated and reverted to the backpack form.

Robin then congratulated them, "Good job team."

Draco shrugged. "Hey, he wasn't that tough. He said that he was as strong as Molock. Heh, Molock was a lot tougher than that."

"Maybe he was bluffing?" Cyborg supplied.

"Maybe."

"Or maybe…maybe we've just gotten stronger?" Copycat supplied.

"That could be true too."

"Well, whatever," Robin turned his head to the stairwell. "Let's go."

As they were about to head towards the stairwell, Lance and Pandora appeared out of the tunnel.

"WE MADE IT!" Pandora yelled excitedly. Lance rolled his eyes. He looked around and saw that the Mortikan was nowhere in sight. His attention then turned to the confused Titans.

"Wasn't there supposed to be a Mortikan Demon here?" Lance asked in confusion, scratching his head.

Robin went over and asked, "Who are you two?"

"I'm Pandora!" Pandora said sweetly. She then pointed to Lance. "And Mr. Grouchy over here is Lance." She looked around, eager to kick demon butt, "So, where's the big demon? I'm ready to send him to Hell!"

"That's enough, Pandora," Lance said abruptly, halting her tirade. He then added, "As she said, my name is Lance and I'm a Crusader."

Robin was told of the Crusaders by Shadow and the others after they came back from Tokyo. The Crusader that had helped them was named Jason. "I'm Robin and…"

"I know who you are, who you ALL are," Lance interrupted. "Tell me, what happened to the Mortikan?"

Draco answered, "You don't have to worry. He's long gone."

"We drowned him in acid," Terra elaborated.

Lance's eyes went wide with shock, "In…Acid…?" Pandora's expression matched his

"Yeah," Cyborg grinned and then they all noticed the look on the Crusader and Pandora's face. Cy's grin faded. "Is something wrong yo?"

Lance was about to answer when the cavern rumbled. Then the cavern shook as if there was an earthquake. It started as a tremor before the shaking grew more violent. The acid stalactites all fell on the ground, shattering and spilling acid.

Beast Boy gulped, "Something tells me that we shouldn't have thrown that Mortikan guy into the acid."

Lance said dryly, "You got that right."

Something began to rise up from the acidic river…It looked like a large lump, but then the acidic substance slowly flowed down to reveal the most grotesque thing the Titans had ever seen.

Only one statement could summarize the situation…

"GREAT GOOGA MOOGA!"-Beast Boy

Well that or…

"OH MY KAMI-SAMA!"-Draco

Take your pick.

* * *

The palace seemed to be like an endless maze, where one room led to another or one pathway would zigzag in ways that the normal person would go lost and then insane…but not necessarily in that order. Raven and Shadow were trying to locate Trigon's throne room. However, they weren't able to find the right room.

"Where the bloody hell is it?" Shadow shouted in frustration. Despite the hopeless situation, Raven couldn't help but giggle at the Vampangel's frustration as he began throwing doors open in his haste and irritation.

* * *

The supposed defeated Mortikan rose out of the acidic pool and, if looks were deceiving, he was either really ticked off or extremely pissed off, which was kind of hard to tell as his face, or what was supposed to be a face, was contorted into an eternal expression of rage, wrath and anger…

The Mortikan still had large rippling muscles, except that his skin was now an acid green color, his flowing mane of white hair looked like tentacles lashing out erratically and his ears, well, they were now replaced by a pair of bullish horns with sharp tips. His face had melted completely off, revealing a skull face with razor sharp teeth and hollowed eye sockets that shone with an unholy glow from within. He still had his big muscular arms, but now he had 8 of them and his fingers were tipped with black claws that looked sharp enough and lethal enough to be extremely deadly. Even Freddy Krueger didn't have claws THAT scary. His lower body looked like the body of a long serpent, about 40 to 50 feet long and tipped with a scorpion sting. And, on the serpent body were scorpion legs and scorpion claws. There was a possibility that the Mortikan was related to either a manticore or a chimera…regardless, he looked both extremely horrendous and deadly, mostly horrendous, but still deadly.

Again, Beast Boy exclaimed, "GREAT GOOGLY MOOGLY!"

Copycat, irritated, remarked, "Can someone please shut him up…" she sniffed the air, "And what's that smell?" Everyone stared at Beast Boy.

"IT WASN'T ME!" Beast Boy shouted.

Lance stated, "That's the Mortikan's scent…they use it sometimes to knock out their victims before they devour the souls of the unfortunate."

"Well it stinks like Beast Boy's tofu breath," Cyborg complained.

"We can handle this," Pandora said as she twirled her staff, "You've all done enough and need to rest."

"No way!" Robin stood defiantly.

"We took old ugly demon guy down…" Terra began.

"And we can do it again!" Beast Boy finished.

"You got to trust us Lance…" Draco pleaded.

"Besides, deep down, you know you can't stop us,' Copycat smirked under her helmet.

"So let's get this started," Cyborg punched a fist into his open palm.

Lance shook his head and Pandora grinned at him, "Reminds you a lot of me when we met, huh?"

The Mortikan roared and charged, his scorpion legs moving him across the ground and towards the Titans, Crusader and Pandora.

"TITANS GO!" Robin shouted. The Titans charged, Beast Boy assuming the form of a Tyranosaurus Rex, Cyborg getting ready his weapons, Terra on a boulder, Copycat ran on all fours, Draco flew with his flaming feet and Robin running in the lead, armed with his staff and discs.

Pandora said to Lance, "You gotta admire their determination."

Lance was silent and immediately drew out the sword he had been carrying with him, the sword that was given to him by the Arcangel Michael. The blade of the sword had glowing blue angelic runes along it with a blue aura surrounding the sword. On the center of the hilt was a silver cross that always pointed upwards. Lance rarely used this sword, but when he does, that meant that a situation had just turned serious. With a loud battle cry, Lance unveiled his angel wings and flew up to aid the Titans. Pandora, shaking her head, just muttered, "Always the silent type."

Draco drew a card, his Survivor Card, and placed it inside his Dragblaster. With a shout of, "SURVIVE!" Draco was now clad in his Survivor Mode armor. Copycat looked envious at her brother, but kept it to herself seeing that the battle was first priority. Copycat drew out her whip and lashed it out at the Mortikan's scorpion claws.

Beast Boy roared and wrestled with the Mortikan, but the giant demon was more than a match for Beast Boy. Beast Boy only had his strong jaws and sharp teeth as a T-Rex and the Mortikan had, not just two, but eight really strong arms that could put a body builder to shame. He grabbed onto Beast Boy and administered a sleeper hold around the dino's neck. Beast Boy squirmed as he felt his ribs about to crack and his breath leaving him. The Mortikan had his stinger ready for Beast Boy, but he got whacked upside the head by a large boulder.

"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" Terra demanded as she continued to pummel the demon with her boulders. The demon let go of Beast Boy to block the onslaught and the changeling fell to the ground, but was caught by Pandora.

"There you go, little guy," Pandora cooed. Terra saw this and fumed jealously at the red sorceress. She was so preoccupied that she got swatted out of the air by the Mortikan.

Robin used his staff to vault him over the demon and then land on his back. The Mortikan felt this and thrashed around, trying to get the annoying bird wonder off him. Robin held on tightly by the tendrils of the Mortikan's hair and pulled himself up. He had a few explosive charges in his hand and was not afraid to use them.

Cyborg had very little of his power left, 50 percent actually, so he had to resort to holding the beast by the tail to keep it from using the stinger. However, that seemed to be easier said than done as the tail was swinging about, while Cyborg held on for dear life. Cyborg though, '_I kinda wish we had Pluto here!' _

Draco summoned Dragonrizer, "Add Vent!" and the armored dragon roared as it bit and clawed at the demon. Draco knew that Robin had a plan, so he didn't allow Dragonrizer to attack with its firebreath…not yet anyway. When he saw Robin's signal, Draco swooped down and grabbed the Titans' leader by the arms. Robin shouted, "FIRE IN THE HOLE!' Everyone in the area heard this and backed away as far as they could from the Mortikan. Lance watched, sword still drawn. The charges exploded on the Mortikan's head. The Mortikan let out and anguished roar, but was still standing, albeit shakily, on its eight large scorpion legs.

Copycat then had an idea. She drew a card and slid it into her whip, "Strike Vent: Feline Claws." As the claws appeared on her arms, she concentrated on Pluto's invulnerability and ran ahead. The scorpion claws and legs didn't do any damage on her body as she slashed them clean off, black blood oozing out. She then, in a flash, sliced off the demon's tail. "No more stinging problems…" she purred. The Mortikan, however, was not deterred. He still had a serpentine body, so he slithered around and grabbed Copycat with his 8 arms. He didn't care about souls now; he could just tear them out of their dying bodies. Copycat screamed as the monster was trying to tear her apart limb from limb. One hand was on her head and 4 more were gripping her by her arms and legs. She screamed out loud.

"KAT!" Her brother shouted and he fired the freeze rays upon the appendages holding his sister, freezing them from the inside out. With expert precision, he used his Dragblaster and DRA-Blaster to shoot at the frozen arms and shatter them before Cyborg caught the Cat Knight in his arms.

"I gotcha," Cyborg said,

"Thanks," Copycat nodded as she got back to her feet and with an enraged cry, went back into battle. Cyborg shook his head.

"Man, she's relentless."

"That's my sister," Draco agreed proudly.

Black blood stained the floor of the cavern and most of the Mortikan's body. It tried to open its mouth to fire a beam, but it got frozen shut by Draco. Pandora was healing Beast Boy with a magic spell as Terra fussed over him.

"You," Pandora referred to Terra, "Watch him. I'll pick up the slack." Pandora gripped her staff and shouted her spell, "THUNDARGO!" From her staff, she unleashed a storm of quaking thunder and shocking lightning at the Mortikan, zapping him. A brief gag where the demon's disfigured skeleton could be seen temporarily occurred.

Lance smirked, as his former pupil was doing well. He saw the Mortikan weakened and knew now that it was time to finish this. He knew he could've helped before, but he wanted to see how the younger generation of heroes was doing…and they were doing well.

The Mortikan was in pain, but he barely felt it due to his inhuman rage. Lance knew they were running out of time, so, with a quick swing of the holy blade, he flew down and sliced the demon straight down the middle, slaying it for good. Black blood exploded from the large cut and Draco had to shield everyone from it by conjuring a large ice dome, strangely shaped like an igloo, so they wouldn't get spluttered.

The Titans crawled out of the immense igloo, one at the time and saw the Mortikan was defeated. Lance then said, "No time to celebrate Titans. Let's move." He pointed to the staircase that would lead them to Trigon's palace.

"Right," Robin agreed. He ordered, "TITANS! MOVE!"

Copycat rolled her eyes, thinking, '_What a ham…' _

* * *

Trigon watched as the Mortikan demon was defeated by the Crusader, Pandora and the Titans. If the Crusader came into the castle, all that had planned would have been for naught. This would not do…not do at all.

Suddenly, the doors to his throne room were blown open as the mutilated bodies of his minions and guards littered the floor. There was smoke and dust flying and billowing. Trigon could nearly make out the silhouette of a person; correction, two persons. Stepping forward was none other than his daughter and the Vampagel. He saw that Raven had been turned back to normal and was in her normal attire. The Vampangel's doing, he suspected. Shadow stepped forward shouted out Trigon's name, "TRIGON!" Trigon smirked, this would be interesting.

"TRIGON!" Shadow repeated, "TODAY YOU SHALL MEET YOUR END!"

"**And how will that happen?**" Trigon asked, amused at Shadow's courage and audacity.

"BECAUSE…**I **WILL DESTROY YOU!" Shadow reached into his pocket and pulled out his Zodiac Deck.

"**I see you have found your Zodiac Deck**," Trigon observed. "**This shall be interesting…" **

Shadow shouted out, "ZODIAC FORCE OF THE SNAKE!" the armor encased him through purple energy. Raven was about to stop him, despite being a little angry at her, she was not ready to let him commit suicide.

"Be careful," she murmured.

Shadow turned and gave Raven a nod. He turned to face Trigon and then leapt up. Trigon didn't leave his throne as Shadow relentlessly pummeled him with his shadow energy blasts. Trigon just swatted him away like an annoying fly. Shadow flipped and landed back on the ground. He drew out his XL-Vent card before sliding it into his buckle. "XL-Vent: Excel Active." The purple energy streams showed up on his armor. He then activated his Clock Up system, "Clock Up," running at blinding speeds, towards Trigon. Trigon narrowed his four eyes at the spot where Shadow seemed to disappear. He then threw his arm out and grabbed onto something invisible.

"Clock Over."

Shadow's Clock Up system deactivated and Shadow was trapped in Trigon's fist. The Knight of Invisibility slipped out of the demon lord's hand by phasing out before he activated his SNK-Camera Knuckle, "Excel Charge," charging up for a punch at Trigon's head. However, Shadow was easily smacked away and fell to the ground, roughly. Raven went to help him up and then whispered, "You're going to get yourself killed."

Shadow nodded, "I know…but I'll kill HIM first!" Shadow stood up and drew out the SNK-Gunblade, extending the energy blade. Trigon blasted at Shadow with his eye blasts, but the Snake Knight dodged them with ease. He leapt up at Trigon and slashed him across the chest. Trigon roared and then placed a hand on his bleeding chest before his hand shot out to grab Shadow. Shadow dodged and shot at Trigon with his weapon, becoming an annoyance to Trigon.

Shadow landed on the floor and dropped his SNK-Gunblade before he drew out his SNK-Double Scope. He extended the scopes and connected it to his boot. "Excel Charge." Shadow leapt up and kicked his legs out, firing the spiraling amethyst laser drill. He was ready to execute his Amethyst Annihilator, which was aimed at Trigon's head.

Trigon, enraged, smacked the energy drill away and grabbed onto Shadow, glaring at him with his four cold glowing red eyes. Not allowing any sort of escape, Trigon focused his power into Shadow, burning him from the inside. Shadow was in so much pain that he was unable to contain the scream he was holding. Raven closed her ears. She didn't want this to happen, not to him.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" Shadow screamed.

"Please…please stop…" she begged, crying.

"**You can stop this my dear daughter**," Trigon said calmly as he continued to torture Shadow, "**Just do as you were destined to do, accept and embrace it.**" Shadow was dropped out of Trigon's hand as he allowed the Snake Knight to fall. Shadow's armor shattered away, revealing that he had scorch marks on his skin and that his body was smoking. Raven went over and kneeled over him, crying.

"I'm…I'm sorry," her tears dripped onto his face.

"Raven…" he hissed in pain, bringing up his hand to stroke her tears away. "Don't…" he pleaded.

"I can't," she shook her head, "I have no choice."

"But there is ALWAYS a choice," he told her.

"Not for me," she told him, giving him one last kiss, "Goodbye my love…be safe." She went over to her father. A pedestal had been erected for her. The glowing demonic runes appeared on her body as the Mark of Scath appeared around her chakra. She pulled up her hood and from the shadows, 4 glowing red eyes could be seen. She rose up onto the pedestal and sat in a lotus position. The pedestal began to glow with demonic runes. She began reciting the words that the spirits at the library had recited; the Prophecy, _"The Gem was born of evil's fire. The Gem shall be His portal. He comes to claim, He comes to sire. The End of all things mortal." _The demonic runes left her body and flew around her as the energy expanded around her. Shadow watched helplessly as Raven, _his_ Raven, became the portal. Raven looked at him and mouthed out, "_I love you…"_ before she was engulfed and turned into the portal.

"RAVEN!" Shadow cried. Trigon laughed aloud. At that moment, the Titans, Lance and Pandora burst into the throne room.

Lance had a horrified look on his face that matched the Titans'. "WE'RE TOO LATE!" Raven had indeed become the portal.

"**THE EARTH IS MINE!**" Trigon bellowed triumphantly.

To Be Continued…

Next Chap: The Titans must stop Armageddon, Trigon and the End of The World…How? By making sure Trigon doesn't get through the portal.


	99. PT099: Armageddon

Part 99: Armageddon

(Amity Park-A nice place to live and the most haunted place on Earth)

Danny Phantom, Valerie the Ghost Hunter, Kamen Rider Oni, Ember McLain and the Fenton Family were protecting the town from the onslaught of Trigon's demons. Several Smartroopers were assisting them. The demons took the form of ghostly skeletons.

Danny exclaimed, "There's too many!" he was shooting ecto-blast at every single moving demon while his parents provided support and cover fire.

"We're not giving up yet!" Valerie cried, firing missiles.

"Just keep fighting!" Oni exclaimed as he strummed a tune on his Guitar Axe with Ember, firing a fatal sound wave that tore the demons apart.

Jazz was in the Fenton Peeler armor, pealing demons away. Hell had just been brought to Earth…or has it…or was Earth gonna be Hell?

The skies were becoming dark and the portals were growing.

* * *

(Middleton)

Kim (clad in her battle suit), Animorph (Ron), Doc (Felix) and Boar (Brick) were fighting off the demons that kept coming. Kim spoke to Wade. The demons looked like ogres with flaming hair.

"Wade! Any suggestions?" Kim shouted, ducking under a demon's swipe.

"I don't know what to tell you," Wade typed furiously. "This just doesn't make any sense!"

Animorph swung the Scepter of Hanuman and bashed several demons aside and sliced a demon in half with the Lotus Blade. "They keep coming KP!"

Doc was firing his energy blades, slicing some demon heads off, "I agree! We take down ten and 20 take their place!"

Boar tackled through several demons, pummeling them to the ground, "JUST FIGHT!"

"Brick's right! Just keep on fighting!" she kicked a demon away. Several Smartroopers were assisting them too.

The skies looked they were burning.

* * *

(Tremerton)

The Silver Shell, Jenny and Misty were fighting off an army of Trigon's demonic guards.

Jenny was blasting and smashing for all she was worth, but they kept coming and smashing back with full force. Even Skyway patrol couldn't help. Jenny and her team had help from Smartroopers too who were blasting with their Smartrifles.

Silver Shell (Sheldon) saw that Jenny was in trouble, surrounded by guards who wanted to tear her to pieces. "JENNY!" he screamed, jumping in and saving her before she became scrap metal.

Misty was doing her best, fighting with her alien ninja moves.

The skies became dark and the sun didn't look like it would rise again.

* * *

(Orchid Bay)

June and her grandmother were fighting off the demons terrorizing the city. Disguised in their Te Xuan Ze armors, and supported by Smartroopers, they were more than a match for the demons that looked like lizards on two legs.

"What's going on, Ah Mah?" June asked her grandmother while punching a demon in the face.

"These demons bear the Mark fo Scath! They are Trigon's army…that means Trigon's coming…" Jasmine shuddered, flipping over and vanquishing a demon.

"How bad could this Trigon be?' June asked, but she was dreading the answer by the look from her grandmother's eyes.

"Flesh will turn to stone…" Jasmine quoted.

( New York)

Jake and his grandfather were in dragon form and fighting off the flaming demons that looked like birds. Jake vanquished them with quick kicks, punches and slashes.

"Jake, we must not let the city fall," Lao Shi, his grandfather advised.

"Got it Gramps," Jake nodded, knowing fully well the consequences.

It was starting…

* * *

(Tokyo)

Being the only Knights in Tokyo, Tiger and Lion stood against the demons. All over Japan, some of the Knights other allies like the Shinigami and Spirit Detectives were holding back the tide of demons, aided by the Smartroopers.

They would make their stand now, or die trying, axe and claws slashing and clashing.

The beginning of The End...Armageddon…

* * *

(Azarath)

Trigon laughed, his voice bellowing triumphantly as the portal formed before him. Robin saw Shadow on the floor, bruised, covered with cuts and bleeding…most of all Shadow was wearing the Red-X suit. Despite the questions in his head, he rushed over to his friend. "Shadow! Shadow!" he helped him to stand up and the look he saw on Shadow's face was a look of utter despair.

"Raven…I was too late…my fault…" he rambled.

"Shadow, where's Raven?" Robin asked and Shadow lifted a finger, pointing up at the portal. Robin's brain clicked.

The others, minus Lance and Pandora, gazed upon the tremendous visage of Trigon. He looked just like how Beast Boy and Cyborg, and later Shadow and Draco, had saw him in Raven's mind, but more frightening. He was far bigger, nearly as big as the Tower, maybe bigger. His feet were hooves as his skin was blood red. He looked like Satan on steroids, with huge rippling muscles and black marking on his body. He had tusks, 4 glowing red eyes and sharp antlers…He was dressed in a black leather loin cloth, armor plating that went up to his breast line and wrist guards. He looked down upon the heroes and sneered.

"**Ah yes…the pathetic mortals who came to stop me**," his voice boomed and echoed, "**As you can see, you are all too late, and soon, the Earth and your entire Universe will be mine to rule, conquer and destroy…" **

"We won't let you…" Robin said, hiding the fear he was feeling.

"**What can you do? You are all mortals. Powers or not, a mortal will always be mortal**…"

"You're not getting through that portal!" Draco shouted.

"**I want to see you all try and stop me,**" Trigon challenged, grinning and showing his awesome fangs. That made Beast Boy gulp. Trigon stepped forward and made his way to the portal, but was stopped when Lance flew up and pushed him away with a punch, like he weighed nothing.

"You're not destroying the Earth, Trigon!" Lance said to him. "Not like you did to Azarath…"

Trigon recognized the Crusader, "**Oh, it's you…It's been a long time, hasn't it? I've lost count after the last few thousand years…how have you been**?" the question was not intended to be pleasant.

"I'm going to finish you off like I should've done a long time ago…" Lance stated, his rage fueling him. Trigon was an evil the world could live without.

Copycat, seeing this decided to slip away unnoticed, except by Terra. "Where is she going?" Terra asked herself quietly, before she followed the evil Knight of Cats.

Robin stood at the ready after laying Shadow down somewhere safe, "TITANS! WHATEVER YOU DO, DON'T LET TRIGON INTO THE PORTAL! TITANS GO!"

"Music to my ears," Cyborg cracked his knuckles. He noticed Beast Boy looking around. "What's wrong BB?"

"Where's Terra?" Beast Boy asked. "Where'd she go?"

"And where's my sister?" Draco asked as well.

Robin gritted his teeth as Trigon laughed, **"Lose something? I suppose you want to know where your friends had gone. The one you call Copycat is going after my former servant. You might know him, a man named Slade…**" Robin's eyes widened. Slade was here. "**And that little girl who can move earth has gone after her**."

"Great," Robin muttered sarcastically. They began their attack, nonetheless.

"**FOOLS!**" with a swipe of his hand, Trigon blew them all away. "**Did you think you could stop me? This is my realm and I am in control here!" **He swatted Lance like a fly and Pandora grabbed him. Trigon was nearing the portal, but was taking his own sweet time to do it, enjoying the mortals' anguish for not being able to stop him.

Of course it didn't mean they weren't going to try. Cyborg, Draco, Pandora and Beast Boy (Gorilla form) grabbed him by his ankles and began to pull him back.

"No…way…" Cyborg heaved, putting all his muscle into it. Pandora, despite hear appearance, was much stronger than she looked. Draco and Beast Boy pulled the other leg, the dragon Knight using the Power of the Ox to increase his strength.

Trigon roared and carried his feet, but the Titans and Pandora wouldn't let him. Lance watched, proudly, while he attended to Shadow with Robin. Shadow was injured and he was too much in despair to allow his healing and regenerative powers to kick in. Losing Raven, his love, he no longer had the strength to move. To him, his life held no meaning.

"Raven…" Tears fell from the Snake Knight's eyes, "Raven…she's gone…I failed…"

"No, you didn't," Robin assured him, "You tried…you tried…"

"I failed…" Shadow insisted.

"No," Robin contradicted.

"He did," a new voice appeared. Lance looked up and saw Yoshido, standing all smug and arrogant. Lance recognized the God of Warriors and growled.

"Yoshido…"

"Ah, I see you've heard of me, Crusader. Very nice," his eyes fell upon Shadow, "I knew he couldn't do such a simple thing. I mean, just kill the Gem and this could all be avoided."

Robin demanded, "What?" he looked between Yoshido and Shadow.

"Oh, he didn't tell you?" Yoshido sounded almost surprised, which was actually mock surprise. He explained, "Well, he used to be one of my Black Knights and I sent him to kill Raven. Well then, it was really a simple job, but I forgot that, despite his training, he still had human emotions. He fell in love with the Gem and abandoned the Guild. I was furious. I came to teach him a lesson at your tower, telling him to do his job. You know what he did? Nothing. He didn't follow my orders, thinking that there was another way to stop the Prophecy…What a fool…"

Robin was about to get up to give this 'god' a piece of his mind, but Lance silently asked him to stand down. Lance said, "Yoshido, you and many members of The Order are short sighted. How do you know that killing Raven wouldn't just speed the whole thing up? If her mortal shell was killed, the portal may just open anyway, spelling doom to the world."

"Nonsense! The Prophecy would've been avoidable if the treacherous Snake had done his job!" Yoshido shouted angrily. Lance saw the anger in Yoshido's eyes and also…fear.

"Or maybe…you're scared?" Lance baited. "You're afraid of Trigon…you can't do a damn thing to stop him, that's why you sent Ichijyo to do it for you! You may talk big, God of Warriors, but deep down you're nothing but a sniveling, little…_coward_…" By now, Yoshido was boiling mad, veins popping on his head from the Crusader's assumption.

"Don't tempt me, Crusader…you may have a lot of influence, but several members of The Order agreed with me that the Gem was to be destroyed…She was nothing but a little whore for her daddy! Not worth anyone's time!"

Robin was angered by Yoshido's words and, despite Lance's warning, took out his staff and wanting to bash the god's head in. Instead, a black blur zoomed past him and grabbed Yoshido by the collar. It was Shadow, and his Mark of Sin was glowing red, like his eyes…all seven of them.

"**Don't you dare talk of Raven like that**!" Shadow punched Yoshido across the face, earning a gasp of shock from Lance. Lance smirked, applauding.

* * *

Meanwhile…Copycat was going down the spiraling staircase. She was looking…for Slade. However, she didn't expect for there to be someone following her. Copycat stopped and, without turning, said, "You can stop hiding, Terra. I know you're following me." Terra stepped out of her hiding and Copycat stared at her. "I know why you're following me."

"You're going to rescue Slade," Terra stated, knowing the answer.

Copycat didn't answer. She just kept silent and continued on her way down. Terra followed after her. Copycat stopped again. "Go and help your friends. This is none of your business."

Terra ran down so she was standing next to Copycat. Terra retorted, "It is my business! Slade wrecked my life and he deserved everything that was coming to him!"

Copycat contained her anger, hidden behind her mask. She spoke, "All he did was guide you, Terra."

"And made me betray my friends," Terra added spitefully.

"He didn't make you…you did that all yourself…you made your choice and followed him."

"He tricked me!"

"Did he?" Terra couldn't respond to that. "You could've said no, you could've just walked away when you had the chance, but you didn't, and for what, a stupid misunderstanding?"

"So why did you join Slade as his apprentice?" Terra asked. "What did he offer you?"

"The usual," Copycat skipped a few steps, "Power, the world, the chance to eliminate my brother and etcetera."

Terra was stunned, "Eliminate your own brother?"

"I told you, didn't I?"

"But you're so…close now."

"Yeah, we are…it's because of what Slade had given me."

"Your own robot army?"

"Family," was Kat's simple answer, causing Terra to nearly trip on her own two feet.

"What?" Terra questioned. "Family? You're joking, right?"

Copycat just avoided the question, "I'm going to rescue Slade-sama. You go and help my brother and your friends. They need you right now."

Terra turned around and started to climb up when she said, "You know, I wanted to thank you for saving me while we were fighting that Mortikan guy…"

"Don't bother, I was just defending my allies," Kat told her coldly.

"But thanks anyway…and sorry for how much I've been hassling you for being Slade's apprentice," Terra apologized.

Copycat turned to look at Terra over her shoulder. She also apologized, "I'm sorry too for calling you a traitor. You wanted to be with your friends again, I can understand that. Now go! I have to take care of this on my own." Terra nodded.

* * *

(Back in the throne room)

Trigon was enraged as his steps were being halted and pushed back by these insignificant insects. With roar, he kicked them away and into the walls. Beast Boy and Cyborg groaned while Pandora and Draco flew up to stop Trigon.

Yoshido watched this all with concern as Shadow mocked him, "What's the matter, Yoshido-_sama_ Here's your chance to destroy Trigon. Why not do it and earn a higher place in The Order?" Yoshido contemplated on Shadow's words and grinned,

"Yes…an interesting suggestion." Yoshido then flew up to battle Trigon head on.

"His ego was always so large," Shadow said. Robin was looking at him.

"Was it true? About you being sent to kill Raven?" the Boy Wonder asked.

"It was…" Shadow admitted, "But I'm no longer anyone's puppet." Shadow's stance was still a little shaky, but he summoned his staff to keep himself balanced.

Yoshido aimed a punch at Trigon's chest, pushing him back. Draco then began shooting with his Dragblaster and DRA-Blaster as Pandora used her staff to fire a beam of magical energy to push Trigon away from the portal.

Lance shouted, "Whatever you do, don't let him into the portal!"

* * *

( Jump City)

The Titans arrived in an old part of town, really old, as in ancient. They went into the library and went down the stairs, following Starfire's lead since she had been here before. When they arrived, they saw the ancient chamber with the Mark of Scath on the wall and demonic runes lining the wall and some skeleton statues in robes. Blackfire shivered.

"Man, this place gives me the creeps," Blackfire shuddered.

"Yeah, this is creepy even for me," Jinx agreed.

Starfire explained, "This is the place where we found out about Trigon's Prophecy. Raven told us that the Order of Scath once worshipped Trigon in this place."

"I can see why," Pluto whistled.

"Anyway, I think Trigon might just come out through here when the portal opens, so be ready for anything," Ekelo warned.

Venus drew her sword and then looked at the locket around her neck. Engraved on it was the symbol of Virgo and Cancer. She opened it to reveal her picture, and Joey's. Despite his lies and betrayal…she still loved him. Her faceplate opened and she kissed Joey's picture before slipping it back into her armor. The other Titans had their game faces on.

"Now!" Ekelo shouted and the flaming vortex appeared, swirling, ready to let Trigon into their world. "Remember Titans, we're the world's last and only hope against Trigon the Terrible. If we die here, we die fighting."

Blackfire raised a finger, "I rather not die, thank you very much."

"We will fight for our friends on the other side," Starfire said confidently.

"Let's just hope they're okay," Jinx said worriedly.

* * *

(Azarath)

Things weren't looking too good for the heroes and Yoshido. It would seem that Trigon was much more powerful than he had ever been. He smacked and swatted everyone away like annoying bugs and continued to make his way to the portal. "At last…freedom from this wretched dimension so I can wreak havoc on another world.

"I DON'T THINK SO!" Draco slid several cards into his Dragblaster. "ADD VENT: SUMMONING EVERYBODY!" ALL of Draco's monsters appeared, ready to fight. "ATTACK!" Wildcat and Razorclaw roared as they leapt up and slashed trigon across the chest. Brainstorm blew up a storm, blowing Trigon back as Hardhead put its hard head to good use and rammed into Trigon's leg. Overbite flew around and sliced Trigon's cheek open with its sharp fins. Dragonrizer and Dragblacker roared, blowing fire and ice at Trigon, especially in the eyes. Trigon roared ferociously, swinging his arms around. He blasted molten lava out of his mouth and Draco anticipated this blasting it back by using his pyrokinetic and geokinetic abilities. Trigon just got burnt by his own lava. "How do you like the taste of your own medicine, huh?' Trigon responded by lifting his hoof over Draco and stomping down on him. He raised up his hoof to reveal Draco in a large hoof print. Draco groaned in pain as his armor shattered away. "Itai…" Draco moaned.

Cyborg rode upon Beast Boy, firing his cannon in Trigon's face as Beast Boy flapped his pterodactyl wings to dodge each of Trigon's swipes.

Shadow looked at Yoshido and smirked, "Not so tough, are you now?"

Yoshido glared, "You should show some respect boy!"

Trigon swatted Beast Boy and Cyborg away and then Lance, Shadow and Pandora floated in front of him.

"You're not going to go into this portal monster!" Pandora told Trigon, gripping her staff. Trigon laughed and then got several lightning zaps in the mouth. Pandora giggled. "Did I do that?" Trigon roared and brought down his claw, but Lance pushed her out of the way and slashed with his sword, making a cut in Trigon's palm. Trigon shouted out again, in pain. This time, his eyes glowed far redder than in skin. This time, the kid gloves were coming off.

With a POWERFUL AND TREMENDOUS ROAR OF FURY, Trigon blew all the Titans, Lance, Pandora and Yoshido away and into the walls, making sizable impressions of themselves in the wall. He sneered at them, **"You have impressed me very much, but see for yourself that you are no match for me." **

Lance shouted to Pandora and Shadow, "You two! Try and close the portal! We can't let him through!" Pandora nodded but Shadow was a little reluctant. Yoshido had vanished, like the true coward he was, knowing fully well he was no match for Trigon. Pandora raised up her staff and both her and the Vampangel chanted a spell to close the portal, but they got blasted back by a recoil of energy.

Pandora groaned, "I…I can't…"

Trigon looked upon the sad mortals and gave them a mock salute as he stepped into the portal.

* * *

In the dungeons, Copycat saw a lone guard at the door. Rolling her eyes under her eyepieces, she was about to go over to say, "Hi" when she was pulled back. Turning around, her red eyes met a pair of blue ones. She immediately recognized the other person. She whispered, harshly, "Terra? What are you doing here? I told you to go back and help your friends."

"I wanna help," Terra whispered back. Copycat was flabbergasted. Terra wanted to help her. She was suspicious.

"Why?" Copycat eyed her with suspicion.

"Well, what you told me about Slade, maybe I should help you, return the favor or something," Terra smiled. Copycat was still a little suspicious of Terra, but relented.

"I know how you can help," she then pushed Terra out, in plain view of the guard, yelling, "INTRUDER!"

"KAT!" Terra yelled back. The guard stood over Terra.

"Intruders will be executed," the guard said, swinging down the large poleaxe. Terra summoned up a slab of earth to block him.

"That backstabbing little…" Terra growled, but then saw Copycat, armed with her Feline Claws, and fighting the guard. The guard swung out his axe and Copycat blocked with her gauntlets and was sent flying back into Terra. Terra helped herself up and Copycat flipped back to her feet.

"You were going to use me as a distraction…as bait!" Terra yelled at Kat, completely ticked off.

"I'm evil! What else would you expect?" Copycat retorted as they avoided the furious swings of the guard. Terra knocked the guard back with several sharp rocks. Copycat took the chance to aim a drop kick to the guard's face.

"You cannot stop pure evil," the guard told them. Copycat smirked.

"I'm not such a good girl either," she pointed behind the guard to show that she had set one of her bombs on the door. The bomb exploded, taking the guard with it as Copycat shielded herself and Terra with her, "Guard Vent!" the Psycho Shield, a protective shield that looked like a metal hockey mask materialized. When the doors were blown open, there was Slade, chained to the wall and without his mask, tortured and beaten, and left for dead. Terra had always dreamed of seeing Slade like this, but she felt…sorry for him.

"SLADE-SAMA!" Copycat shouted, rushing over and slashing the shackles. Slade stumbled forward before Copycat caught him as her armor vanished. "I got you, Slade-sama…"

"Kat…Katherine…?" Slade was a little delirious, but still recognized her.

"Megami-sama…what did they do to you…?" Kat said as she supported Slade and carried him out of the dungeon. Terra watched as Kat rescued Slade. Kat laid Slade down and took something out of her belt. It looked like a bean. She placed the bean to Slade's mouth, "Here, eat…it'll make you feel better." Slade opened his mouth, took the bean, chewed and swallowed. Terra watched in shock as all of a sudden. Slade's wounds disappeared and he looked good as new. Copycat took out an extra mask and gave it to Slade. Slade put it on and stood up, looking at his hands.

"Amazing…" Slade said, impressed.

"That was a Senzu Bean. I saved some for emergencies. All Black Knights have them. I managed to stash some before my…resignation," Kat told him.

Terra pointed out, "Weren't you kicked out?" Kat hissed. "Never mind."

Slade saw Terra, "What it she doing here?"

"She came to…help," Copycat said to him. "Now come on, Trigon is about to step through the portal."

Slade shook his head, "It's already too late…Trigon has already stepped through the portal."

Terra stared at Slade accusingly, "No thanks to you."

"My dear Terra, this Prophecy would've happened with or without my assistance," Slade told her.

"But you had a hand in it. You were Trigon's pawn…in a way, you caused this," Terra's eyes glowed yellow.

Copycat snuck up behind Terra and knocked her out with a chop to the back of her neck. Slade complimented, "Excellent work, Katherine." Kat threw Terra over her shoulder.

"Let's go."

* * *

Back in the throne room, Trigon had just entered the portal. Draco got back up and shouted, "We have to go after him!" he ran towards the portal and just as he was about to leap in, it vanished, leaving Draco to smash into the wall with a loud crash. "Ow…" he groaned.

Shadow said in disbelief, "We're too late…" Robin fell on his knees and slammed his fists onto the floor.

"NO! We were so close!" Robin cried. Draco picked himself up and Beast Boy and Cyborg had a sense of failure.

"We failed dudes…" Beast Boy said dejectedly.

"Raven's gone…the world's doomed….there's nothing we can do…" Cyborg said slowly.

Lance looked upon the heroes and was about to say something when Pandora beat him to the punch, "I can't believe you guys! You're all supposed to be big time teen superheroes, and you're just gonna give up like that?"

"Face reality girl!" Cyborg shouted with his arms spread out. "The world is DOOMED with a capital D. Trigon's won. Plus, we can't do a damn thing to help!"

Pandora looked Cyborg in the eye and narrowed her own red eyes, "Listen to me metal boy…it ain't over till it's over!" she pushed him down with a finger.

"What can we do?" Beast Boy muttered.

"Listen, believe it or not, I was the Pandora in the story of the Pandora's Box. I was a stupid little girl when I opened that box and spread chaos throughout the Earth. I felt all hope was lost, but when I looked into the bottom of the box, I found the hope I needed to place the chaos in the box and set things right." She added, "What I'm saying is get off your behinds and act like the mighty Titans you named yourselves after. You all fight for Truth, Justice…"

"And the last slice of Pizza!" Draco added excitedly. Pandora looked at him oddly.

"Yeah…that."

Lance smiled. Pandora sure could give good pep talks, but he had to see the Titans stand back up.

Shadow stood up, "Raven…she wouldn't want us to give in and give up."

Robin stood up, "The Earth…Starfire…they need us."

Cyborg stood proudly. "My baby Sarah's there…and I ain't gonna lose her."

Beast Boy grinned, "Face it, if we don't save the world, who will?"

Robin extended his hand, then Shadow placed his hand on Robin's, followed by Cyborg, Beast Boy and Draco. "TEEN TITANS!" Beast Boy looked around.

"Hey, has anybody seen Terra?" Beast Boy asked.

"And where's Kat?" Draco asked as well.

"Right here," Kat said as she stepped into the room with Terra over her shoulder and holding the guard's poleaxe. Standing behind her was none other than…Slade! Robin stood at the ready and so did the Titans. Copycat rolled her eyes. "Oh please, save your energy…"

"What did you do to Terra?" Beast Boy demanded. Kat then went over to Beast Boy and placed her in his arms.

"She got a little tired. Maybe because of her link to the Earth. She can feel it dying," Copycat lied.

Robin and Shadow went to Slade, tempted to teach him a lesson, but Copycat appeared before them, acting as a shield for Slade.

"Out of the way, Kat…" Robin said slowly.

"We mean it…" Shadow hissed.

"Fat chance," Kat snarled, flexing her claws. "You gotta go through me first."

Slade said calmly, "Just like children to let their emotions to cloud their judgment. Why waste time with me while Trigon is already destroying the Earth as we speak?" As much as they hated to admit it, Slade was right. "Let me assist you. Even I don't want the world to end."

"Why should we trust you?" Robin asked suspiciously.

Slade opened his fist, "Because you'll need all the help you can get." In his palm was a ring. "The Ring of Azar was given to me to protect me from Trigon's wrath. A fat lot of help that did me." He then slid it onto Copycat's finger. "But it might do you better."

Copycat looked at the ring. She said to the Titans, "And don't worry about the portal. Remember, there's another one waiting for us from the spot we came in. The minotaur I brought to life is still guarding it."

"Let's go then," Robin said.

"You can't all go," Slade said. "You need to look for…Raven."

Shadow looked at the ground. "That's impossible. Raven's…she's gone, destroyed when she became the portal."

"Only her dark powers were used to make the portal, Shadow. So a remnant of the Raven you knew may still exist in this realm. I suggest a small team to go in search for her while the rest of us go and stop Trigon," Slade said to them. Despite their hatred for the madman, what he said made sense.

"Then I'm staying to look for Raven," Robin volunteered.

"No, I am," Shadow volunteered instead. Before Robin could protest Shadow added, "Robin, you're needed on Earth to lead the Titans. I can stay here and look for Raven before I catch up with all of you."

"You sure?" Robin questioned. Shadow smiled, even though it had a bit of sadness in it.

"Trust me."

Slade rolled his eye and mumbled, "How touching."

Shadow looked at Lance, "Lance, please take care of them." Lance nodded.

"Will do."

Robin shouted, "Let's move it!"

The Titans, Lance, Pandora, Slade and Copycat were teleported out of the throne room by a simple spell from Pandora. Shadow also disappeared. He was going to look for Raven and knew where to start.

The team arrived in front of the portal, still guarded like it was before they left and leapt in. This time, Trigon was going down. However, they were unprepared for what they were to witness before them.

The portal opened up upon a roof of a building, spilling them out. Terra woke up and her eyes widened with horror.

The city was in ruins and the sky looked like it was on fire. The citizens had been turned to stone and all the water had turned to lava…This was the vison of Hell and the devil, known as Trigon, sat upon the Tower like a makeshift throne.

Robin was thrown out of his funk when he reached for his communicator. He made a call, "Anyone? Hello? Can anyone hear me?" Starfire answered, Robin smiled, but it was all in static.

"Rob…Robin! It is…you…glorious!" Starfire's voice was being blocked by static.

"Starfire!" Robin shouted. "Where are you?" The communicator went dead. "STARFIRE! STARFIRE!"

Slade's eye narrowed at the demon…the one who had manipulated him. Trigon sat on his throne like he was a lord…that throne should've been Slade's and…

"Slade-sama," Kat's voiced interrupted his thoughts.

"Yes Katherine?" Slade asked.

"Is my mama alright?" she already knew the answer, but she wanted to hear it from Slade.

"She will be, Apprentice, once we take a certain self glorified demon lord down."

The Titans, at the meantime, were worried about their friends. Were they alright? Had they been captured? Where were they?

At that moment, a shadow moved and out popped Ekelo, scaring the shit out of Draco.

Draco exclaimed, "You nearly gave me a heart attack!" Ekelo ignored him. He noticed the Crusader but then turned his attention to all of them.

"Come with me. I'll take you to the other Titans," Ekelo said as he formed a shadow portal before jumping in. The rest of them jumped in one by one. Lance looked at Trigon and frowned before jumping in last. Trigon didn't seem to notice, but he was all seeing.

* * *

Back on Azarath, Shadowcobra was looking for Raven. The wasteland appeared even deader than ever, if that was even possible to begin with. The once golden Utopian that Raven once told him about so many time was an empty shell, a shadow of the once glorious civilization that once resided in this realm. Were there any survivors when Trigon take over and did they escape to other realms like Raven did? There was no way of telling. Right now…his first priority was looking for Raven.

He entered a large and ruined Azarathian temple or church and looked around. He looked upon the insides of the building and sighed depressingly. Was this all because of Trigon? Was Trigon against beauty and peace in all its forms? Did he live for destruction? The proof was there…Trigon had to be stopped.

When he walked on, he caught a glimpse of something run by. "Who's there?" he heard running and he turned around to see…violet hair leaving through the door. "RAVEN! WAIT!" he ran after her.

He could find Raven through her aura. Concentrating, he found the strand of her aura and followed after it. 'Raven' was running fast. He ran after the aura. He found it had entered a cave so he entered as well. His eyes adjusted to the dark as he continued his search. "Raven?" The aura led him to a small corner of jagged rocks. Carefully crawling on all fours, he then went over to the corner and found Raven…at least, that what he was hoping for. "Raven?"

Looking back at him was a little girl, no older than 8, dressed in a white leotard and boots. Her skin was grey like Raven's and so was her hair. "Who are you?" she asked shakily. "And how did you know my name?" Shadow's eyes widened. This was Raven!

"Raven, it's me…" he reached for her, but then she kicked her leg out and hit him square in the face. "Ouch…" Raven ran past him, pulling on her cloak as she ran. Shadow recovered and ran after her. "Raven! Stop!" In a swirl of darkness, he ended up standing in front of her. She tried to double back, but he teleported there too. He then created clones to surround her, blocking her path of escape. With nowhere to run, Raven curled herself into a ball, shaking with fear. Shadow banished his clones and went over to Raven, kneeling down. He placed a hand on her head, gently and said, "There's no need to be afraid…I'm a friend…Your guardian angel."

"I'm all alone," Raven said slowly. Shadow picked her up, her arms around his neck, and hugged her protectively.

"You're not alone anymore," Shadow said to her softly. "Now, let's go."

* * *

The Titans were now in the catacombs under the library, using it as a temporary base to plan against Trigon. Slade and Copycat leaned against a far wall, far away from the heroes as they planned their attack. The Titans who had remained on Earth were unharmed as Venus erected a holy energy shield just in time to protect them from Trigon's powers, leaving them unaffected.

Starfire and Jinx hugged their boyfriends and gave them huge kisses, much to Ekelo's disgust. They were glad to be back, just that they hoped they could do something against Trigon.

Trigon was free and had unleashed his horrific power over the world. He had turned Jump City into the very pit that was Hell itself. Right now, the Teen Titans needed to bring him down. Lance had the floor.

"Several thousand years ago, I once fought Trigon. Before he proclaimed himself a demon lord, he used to be a demon general of a REAL Demon Lord named…Terrorsan." Ekelo cringed at the name of his father, but tried not to show it. "Trigon was defeated, not just by the Crusaders…but also by the Zodiac Knights and the god Yoshido."

Draco added, "Who disappeared like a coward and left us to deal with Trigon alone." Copycat nodded in agreement.

"Trigon was defeated and banished into a hellish dimension, never to be seen again," Lance continued.

"Fat lot of help that did," Pluto remarked, causing everyone to shush him.

"The Prophecy was made as a warning…and a lot of members of The Order thought that by killing Raven, Trigon would be forever trapped. However, another lot saw Raven as the bane of Trigon's existence…and the Key to his destruction."

"From a Gem to a Key…" Slade muttered.

Beast Boy whispered to Terra, while pointing over his shoulder at Slade, "Why did we let him in here?" Terra shrugged.

Pandora finished for Lance, "Raven was the only one who had power to bring Trigon here, so she has the power to destroy him. Problem is…she was destroyed when she became the portal, but according to the 'The Man in the Iron Mask' here, some part of her still survived. I'm not sure, but it seems more like a long shot."

Ekelo suggested, "We should attack him head on."

Draco nodded, "As much as I hate to admit it, Ekelo is right."

Robin agreed, "Right now, it's our only shot." Robin went over to Slade and Copycat. "Are you both in…or are you out?"

"I'm in," Copycat immediately answered. "What about you Slade-sama?"

Slade said, "We have a truce and an alliance…for now." The tone of his voice was still malicious.

Starfire then said, "Are we not forgetting Shadow?"

Shadow then slid into the room via the shadows, "You called?" his cloak was draped over himself.

"ICHIJYO!" Starfire squealed, launching herself towards Shadow and hugging him till his face turned blue.

"I missed you too Koriand'r," he rasped out, smiling. Ekelo stuck his tongue out in disgust under his cloth mask.

Robin asked, "Did you find her?"

Shadow didn't know how to answer, "Oh, I found her…Raven?" Raven stepped out from under Shadow's cloak. Everyone gawked at her, including Slade.

"We're doomed…" Cyborg moaned.

* * *

Elsewhere…in a realm far beyond the reaches of normal man was the residence of Libra, the Guardian of the Zodiac Knights. He looked worriedly into a mirror as it showed him what was going on Earth. The world was in chaos and looked like a volcanic wasteland. He wanted to help, but ever since he interfered in Tokyo against the Death Knight, he was told to never do so again. His job was to observe until the Zodiac Tournament and not to interfere. However, his urges were growing and he needed to go and help.

"Thinking my friend?" Fuji asked as he stepped into his friend's quarters.

"Yes," Libra admitted. "I want to help, but I can't. The Order has me under lock up and I am forbidden to interfere."

"I know how this must feel for you, Kyousuke…"

"My children, my wife, my family…all of them gone…"

"Maybe not…"

"You went to see Clockwork again, didn't you?"

"How'd you guess?"

"You have that smug look on your face."

"Let's just say that the fate of the Earth lies in the wings of a little blackbird…"

* * *

Raven looked upon the assembled teenagers with curiosity. They all looked so strange to her, especially the one made of metal and another one with green skin. When Starfire floated over, she squealed, "How adorable!" Raven whimpered and went to hide behind Shadow. Starfire analyzed, "She acts so much like you at that age, Ichijyo."

Slade said in a disgusted tone, "The fate of the Universe lies in the hands of a child?" He scoffed, "Now I'm convinced!" The teens glared at him, but he ignored them.

Draco, Venus, Copycat, Shadow and Pluto stood together. Shadow said, "We'll start the first assault. Ready?" he asked the other 4 Knights and they nodded.

"ZODIAC FORCE OF THE SNAKE!"

"ZODIAC FORCE OF THE DOG!"

"ZODIAC FORCE OF THE CAT!"

"ZODIAC FORCE OF THE DRAGON!"

"ZODIAC FORCE OF VIRGO!"

Shadowcobra kneeled down in front of Raven as his faceplate and visor slid open. He then opened his hand to produce a small pendant…the same pendant Trigon had torn away from her and destroyed. He slowly placed it around her neck before placing a kiss upon her chakra. He whispered, "Believe…"

The five Knights then flew out of the catacombs to destroy Trigon. May God bless their souls, they needed it. Jinx and Blackfire prayed and so did the others, with an exception of Slade who snuck away unnoticed.

To Be Continued…


	100. PT100: A New Dawn

Part 100: New Dawn

Trigon sat at his makeshift throne, looking at his new 'kingdom'. He was just about to send his minions to space when his 4 eyes caught sight of something…5 somethings…5 _little_ something.

Trigon sneered, "**Peh****, Zodiac Knights…Pathetic**." All 5 Zodiac Knights were flying directly at him. If he didn't know better, Trigon would've thought these whelps were coming for a fight.

Shadow touched down on the island with Draco, Pluto, Venus and Copycat following after. Pluto whistled, "Woah, he's a huge bitch!"

Shadow commanded, "ATTACK!" Draco and Pluto flew up and fired fireballs and lightning bolts at Trigon, but the Demon Lord just raised the palm of his hand and blasted back with his own fireball. Pluto and Draco dodged out of the way and continued their assault, firing upon Trigon. Copycat and Venus flew up as well. Venus looked at Copycat and nodded. The Knight of Cats activated her powers to duplicate Starfire's starbolts and began blasting while Venus blasted with her plasma rays. Shadow fired with his own shadow energy blasts. "GIVE HIM EVERYTHING YOU GOT GUYS!" Shadow shouted.

Draco flew straight at Trigon and dodged the demon's eyebeams before smashing his fist right between Trigon's eyes. Trigon howled in pain from the immense impact.

Copycat then zoomed around, landing slash wounds upon the demon's massive body. "This is for Slade-sama!" She slashed him across the chest. Trigon howled and made a grab for her, but only met empty air as she avoided his swipe.

Shadow manipulated Trigon's shadow and created a giant shadow duplicate of Trigon to fight the Demon Lord. Trigon actually rose up from his 'throne' and began wrestling with the shadow.

Venus and Pluto, like sister and brother, pummeled him with plasma balls and zapped him with electrical bolts. Trigon grew annoyed and with a howl, he swung his massive red arms out and threw the Knights to the ground.

Though angered, Trigon was still able to make some sense, **"I see that I have overestimated you** **all**." He was insulting them, Shadow realized. Trigon continued, "**The band of Knights who defeated me several millennia ago were more powerful than you shall ever be. You are all merely small annoyances. However, I am bored and I am in need for some entertainment**."

"We're not going to dance like puppets for you tall, red and UGLY!" Copycat snarled. Draco nodded with agreement.

"We're taking you down…and OUT!" Pluto shouted.

Trigon's eyes glowed and Shadow knew something wasn't right. Looking down, he gasped. The Mark of Scath was glowing under their feet. Trigon merely said, "**How can you expect yourselves to defeat me, when you can't even defeat yourselves?" **

Venus looked at him. "What is that supposed to-" but she was unable to finish the question as she suddenly began screaming in pain. The others were in pain and screamed as well. A red aura surrounded them as something was coming out of their bodies. Another flash of pain and the Knights fell to their knees.

Copycat asked no one in particular, "What just happened…?" When she looked up, her eyes widened under her red eye pieces, "Masaka…" The other Knights were shocked as well.

Standing opposite them…were themselves…evil doppelgangers in black and white, like in an old silent movie, but with glowing red eyes. In place of the symbols of their Zodiacs was the Mark of Scath.

Trigon commanded his Scath Knights, "**Torment them**."

The Evil Shadow pointed at the Knights, "DESTROY THEM!" the Scath Knights roared and charged.

"COUNTER ATTACK!" Shadow commanded as the Knights charged at their doppelgangers.

* * *

Back in the catacombs, the Titans were watching this via a viewing portal Ekelo had conjured up. Jinx was seeing the Knights fighting themselves…their inner darkness.

Ekelo muttered, "Not good."

Robin shouted, "We have to go help!"

"No!" Ekelo yelled. "Shadow told us to stay here until he gives the signal!"

"Screw the signal!" Jinx cried.

Raven was watching the battle…feeling scared…for Shadow.

* * *

Draco got blasted by a red fireball and smashed into the side of the building. The Evil Draco was beginning to mock and taunt him, "Protect people?" He laughed. "How the hell can you protect people when you can't even protect yourself?" Draco roared and flew at his inner demon and began throwing punches. Evil Draco just blocked and dodged. "It's no use. I can see what move you make before you even make it. A nice touch, the Power of Pisces, isn't it?' the evil Dragon Knight ducked under a roundhouse kick. "The power of your friend, Tazuka, who you failed to protect." Draco froze and the Evil Draco delivered a vicious uppercut.

Pluto and Venus were forced back to back as they faced off against the mirror images of their inner darkness. Venus couldn't believe that she had any darkness. Apparently, she was wrong. The Dark siblings taunted in unison, "You both failed, failed your father, failed your mother…failed everyone…" Evil Pluto and Evil Venus blasted the real Pluto and Venus with electrical bolts and plasma blasts. Pluto and Venus drew their swords and fought their doubles. Pluto and Venus began clashing swords with their dark selves.

Pluto was being taunted, "Your friends would be safer if you never existed. Your inventions never work! You're a failure!" Pluto barked and threw a punch laced with electricity.

Venus was being taunted as well, "You're a fool! Joey deceived you. He had fun playing with your heart! He never even liked you!" Venus cried and thrust with her sword.

Copycat was being mocked as well, but Copycat ignored her evil copy…until she said, "You try to prove yourself. Why? Because you're not good enough, you'll never be good enough! Your brother would always be better than you and you will always be second best, the runt of the litter!" Copycat snarled and lashed out with her whip, only for her double to retaliate with a heel kick to her chin.

Shadow was facing an even worst ordeal by his double. His evil double kept bringing up Misha's death and the secrets Shadow had kept, "You don't trust anyone. You lie and keep secrets. You're afraid of not being trusted. You're afraid to be…alone…like when Misha died…You let her die…"

Shadow hissed, "NO!" Shadow swung his staff but it was met with the Evil Shadow's staff. Their energies clashed and threw them back into buildings.

* * *

Ekelo knew what Trigon was doing. He was trying to break the Knights by using their inner demons against them. A clever tactic, psychological warfare was very effective in battles such as this.

The Titans looked worried. They were going to help, no matter what Ekelo said. Lance just looked on quietly and so did Pandora.

Lance could not take it, "I'm going to help!" Ekelo just leered at the Crusader as he flew out of the catacombs. Pandora followed after him.

* * *

There was an explosion and Draco lay in a smoking crater. He heard Yaminekoryu's voice telling him to get up. ((Get up, Aibout…get up…)) Draco groaned and pushed himself up on his hands and knees. The evil Draco was standing over him.

"Why bother getting up? Trigon will win anyway and your Jinx will be all mine to play with…" the Evil Draco said. Draco growled and flew up to punch the Evil Knight in the face and…kick him in the balls.

Copycat was downtown and crashed on top of a car. Her evil double was still verbally abusing her, "Why don't you go home to your mama and papa…? Oh wait, Copycat doesn't have a papa…" Copycat snarled and ran at her opponent.

Venus and Pluto were starting to grow exhausted. Their inner demons' words were doing more damage than their swords. It was like their spirits were being chipped away…bit by painful bit.

Shadow wasn't having a good time either. Being reminded of his inhumanity and Misha's death…filled him with regret. He was just about to throw in the towel…But he had to remember the promise he made to Raven. He picked himself up and balanced upon his staff, his shoulders heaving. He looked up and glared at the evil inside him. He hissed, "You wanna see evil? I'll show you evil!"

* * *

Robin couldn't take it anymore. He turned to the Titans and they silently agreed. Ekelo couldn't stop them even if he tried. So, the Titans left to assist their Knights and friends.

Raven watched them all leave. Why would they risk their lives, even now? The world was over…it was all over…she just didn't understand what they stood to gain, even now…

"Why…?" she asked softly, but was noticed by Ekelo.

* * *

Draco was down in the dumps, literally. Draco was lying in garbage as he had been blasted into the dump by his 'evil twin'. The Evil Draco floated over him. He mocked, "Lying in garbage, just where you belong…"

Draco got up and retorted, "At least I'm not ugly!" he fired a freeze ray but the evil Draco countered with a fire blast. The blasts pushed against one another.

"You can't win…I'm better than you…I AM YOU!" Evil Draco pushed. Draco pushed back. "You're weak without your friends…weak and alone…I don't know what Jinx sees in you!" he laughed but his laughter ceased when he felt a blast of pink magic. He looked up ahead and saw a head of familiar pink hair. Jinx!

"I'm coming!" Jinx shouted, firing her hex blasts at the doppelganger. Draco smiled and pushed back with his freeze ray.

Draco shouted, "I AM NEVER ALONE!" Jinx's hex magic and Draco's freeze ray mixed together and froze the evil double solid. The pink hex magic had been involved, so the doppelganger began to crack and break…but Draco had other plans. He drew a card and slid it into his gauntlet.

"Final Vent." He leapt up and aimed a flying kick at the huge popsicle as Dragonzer blasted him in that direction, "DRAGON COMBUSTION KICK!" shattering the evil Draco to itty-bitty pieces. Jinx and Draco then hugged and then he said, "I thought I told you to stay put."

"I did," she purred, "But I couldn't let my baby get hurt." She kissed him on the faceplate.

* * *

Venus and Pluto had lost their swords and all hope of winning. They were on the ground as their evil doubles wanted nothing more that to drive their swords through them.

"Bye, bye," Evil Pluto said.

"It was nice knowing you…Not!" Evil Venus finished.

They were about to strike when a purple energy blast sent the Evil Pluto flying. In Evil Venus' case, a gold and black blur tackled her away.

Pluto exclaimed, "BLACKFIRE!"

Venus was also shocked, "SCIZZORS!" Joey, in his Scizzors armor, had come to help.

"We found these," Scizzors said, handing Venus and Pluto their swords back.

"Thanks," Pluto told him. Venus was silent, but nodded thanks anyway. Their evil doubles were starting to get up, but this time Pluto and Venus were going to finish them off. They slid their cards into their card readers.

"Final Vent!" Pluto flew up and his cape spun around him like a drill. Venus' Whitewing flew behind Evil Venus and blew her away…straight towards a Naginata holding Venus.

"DEADLY IMMORTAL'S DRILL!" Pluto plowed into his darker half.

"MISTY SLASH!" Venus slashed her inner darkness to ribbons

The attacks finished the evil clones off.

* * *

Copycat was getting beaten up…by herself; how ironic. Her armor was damaged and she had slash marks on her arms, legs and helmet…also some slash marks on his chest. She never thought she was ever THIS bad, but apparently she was wrong.

Evil Copycat had her claws out and ready to slash Copycat's head clean off. With a vicious snarl, she swung her claws to slice Copycat's head off.

It never came.

"END OF THE WORLD!" The Evil half of Copycat got blasted to bits by a lot of heavy ammunition. Copycat only knew one trigger happy idiot and was glad to see him. She also saw a familiar figure in blue and white…Aqua…Rose…ARMS and Aqua went to help her back to her feet.

"You okay, Kat?" Aqua asked.

"Just a little sore…but I'll live…" Copycat moaned in pain. She then asked, "How did you know to come?"

"That's because I called them," Slade appeared out of the shadows, holding the poleaxe she had swiped from the guard in the dungeons. Copycat was glad to see her 'family'.

Slade twirled the axe around in his hand, "Time to pay a visit to my old 'boss'."

* * *

Trigon smiled and evil grin, watching the Knights fight their evil selves. So what if they were victorious? He was a Demon Lord.

Leaving Terrorsan's rule was the best decision he ever made in his unholy life. He had that which Terrorsan and Lucifer had only dreamed of; the enslavement of the Earth.

No one would tell him otherwise…except for a fallen angel.

"You won't succeed you know," said an arrogant voice with a slightly Spanish except. Looking down, Trigon saw a well dressed gentleman with a long coat. He had rugged good looks and stylish black hair. He looked like in his mid-thirties. He was also smoking a cigarette. He would seem out of place in this post-Apocalyptic nightmare world, but his wings gave him off…His obsidian black wings.

This was no normal fallen angel…he was not as powerful as Lucifer, the Morning Star, but he was still quite powerful in his own right.

He was Lord Antonio…Founder and Leader of the Death Knights.

Trigon looked down upon this puny creature. "**What?**" he demanded.

"You won't succeed. The Zodiac Knights and the Crusader will stop you," Antonio blew a circle of smoke from his mouth. "Besides, Lucifer has already deemed the Earth as his domain…You're just walking on thin ice, Trigon."

Trigon laughed. **"You are joking! Those mortals and Crusaders can do nothing to stop me! The world and universe is mine! Lucifer has lost! I have conquered and lived his dream. He has lost! Not even Terrorsan can stop me now!" **

Antonio blew a puff of smoke from his mouth and shook his head. He dropped his cigarette and stepped on it. "Be warned Trigon the Terrible…your end will be brought upon by your own spawn…and your arrogance will be the start of your downfall…" With that, Antonio wrapped his wings around himself and vanished.

Unaware to Trigon…Antonio's prediction would eventually come true.

* * *

Shadowcobra was on his hands and knees. He had been fighting his inner demon and lost. Across from him, Evil Shadowcobra was just finishing his tirade before finishing him off, "You let all your friends down…It would be better if you didn't exist." He was armed with a jagged black sword. He began walking towards Shadow and stopped when he was standing over him. "Goodbye…" Shadow only waited for the inevitable.

It never came.

A sonic energy beam, exploding birdarangs, a green energy blast, and a large boulder smashed, rammed and blew up on the dark doppelganger. Shadow turned his head and to his amazement…Robin, Starfire, Cyborg, Beast Boy and Terra. Beast Boy morphed into a rhino and rammed straight into the Scath Knight before resuming human form and helping Shadow to stand.

"You okay dude?" Beast Boy asked in concern.

"Yes," Shadow nodded. "I am."

"Oh, the kiddie league has arrived," the Evil Shadowcobra cackled.

"You will pay for hurting our friend," Starfire hands glowed with charged starbolts.

"You're going down and so is your master," Cyborg's cannon was aimed at him.

Robin also had a retort, "Because, he's facing the Titans."

Shadow saw the hope in their eyes. He also knew this was his fight. Drawing a card, he slid it into his staff. "Final Vent." Evil Shadow's eyes widened when he turned around. Standing behind him, with a swirling vortex in its belly, was none other than Genocide.

He was done for.

"DARKHOLE CRASH!" Shadowcobra leapt up and delivered a drill kick that smashed the Evil Shadowcobra into the vortex to be crushed to oblivion. Shadow landed and stood proudly. He then said, "Let's show Trigon that it wasn't a good idea to mess with the Teen Titans." Drawing a new card, he slid it into his staff. "**EVOLUTION**!"

* * *

Draco slid a card into his Dragauntlet. "**EVOLUTION**!"

* * *

Pluto slid a card into his sword. "**EVOLUTION**!"

* * *

Libra watched from his domain…and smiled.

Trigon's demise…was nigh.

* * *

Lance and Pandora began their assault on Trigon. Trigon had just moved into the city, once he realized that the Titans were now more of a threat than pests and nuisances. With a roar, he fired his eyebeams at the Crusader and Crimson Sorceress.

The Titans moved in. Draco was in his Emperor Mode armor and Pluto appeared in his Cyber Mode armor. Finally, Shadowcobra showed up in his Vampangel Mode armor. Copycat also arrived at the scene, with Slade and Team Tartarus.

"TEAM TARTARUS, TAKE EM TO HELL!"

"TITANS GO!"

"ZODIAC TITANS, CHARGE!"

Blackfire and Starfire blasted at Trigon while flying around to avoid his ferocious swipes. Beast Boy was in the air, with Terra on boulder. The geomancer threw LARGE concrete boulders at Trigon. With her powers, she also threw lava globs at him. Though unaffected, he got annoyed. Beast Boy morphed in mid-air into a tiger and landed on Trigon's face. He clawed and slashed at his skin, exciting a roar from the demon lord before morphing into a fly to avoid the eye blasts.

Draco drew out his Emperor Dragon Blade and Jinx hexed it. He raised it over his head and leapt up, slashing Trigon across the chest. The hex magic added some extra damage to the slash. Trigon roared. To irritate him further, Draco blasted sand in Trigon's eyes.

Cyborg blasted with both his cannons, Pluto providing extra power by fueling Cyborg's power cell with his electricity.

Shadow threw both his hands out and fired, not just a dark energy blast, but a white one too. He was using both his powers of darkness and light. Trigon was going down.

Slade threw the axe with careful precision and sliced off one of Trigon's antlers, clean right off. "For the record, I am nobody's servant."

ARMS was blasting with his launcher and cannons while Aqua fired blue energy beams. Scizzors and Venus used their attacks as well, throwing sharp shurikens and plasma blasts at the demon.

Lance flew down and slashed at Trigon's skin, making a very clean and deep cut in the demon's arm. Pandora decided to use an elemental spell, "FREEZA!" and ice formed all over Trigon's arm, freezing it solid. Draco flew up and with all his strength and smashed the demon's arm off. Trigon let out a loud roar and scream of pained anguish.

* * *

Raven looked shocked and amazed, "I don't believe it…They're hurting him…"

Ekelo smiled to her and said, "You want to go and see?" He extended his hand. She took it and they disappeared in a wave of shadows.

* * *

Trigon was growing tired and annoyed by these pests. With a burst of his dark power, he blasted and sent them crashing, smashing and falling into the ground, building and anything nearby.

Raven appeared with Ekelo and saw all the Titans, Team Tartarus, Lance and Pandora sprawled all over the ground. She saw Shadow, bleeding and with his wings broken. His armor had shattered off. "No…" Raven ran to him. "Shadow, get up…"

"Raven…?" he groaned, "What are you doing here? You should be someplace safe."

"For all you've done for me and what you are doing…I am not leaving you," she leaned down and kissed him on his Mark of Sin.

Trigon growled, "**How touching**," and fired a blast from his eyes.

"NO!" Raven screamed and for some unknown reason…a force field erected around her, deflecting the blast. Trigon looked at her with shock. Raven stood up, pissed as hell, no pun intended. "You won't destroy this world…" her body glowed white…a holy light, "LIKE AZARATH!" when she exploded with light, she changed…she was restored into her original teenage body, but clad in white and her hair was longer.

"Raven…?" Shadow looked at her, shocked.

Trigon sneered, "**How do you expect to defeat your powerful father?" **

Raven's hands crackled with white energy, "You may have created me…but you were never my father." She blasted him, "Fathers are kind." She blasted again, forcing him to stumble back. "Fathers protect and raise and love their children." Another blast erupted from her hands and into Trigon. "The monks of Azarath protected me…my friends raised me…" Her eyes turned to Shadow, "And Shadow loved me." Shadow blushed and he knew it was true. He chanted the spell and broke the seal…revealing his Arch Vampangel form.

Raven rose up until she was up to level with Trigon and so did Shadow. Shadow's wings spread out behind himself and Raven. He was targeting Trigon and nullifying the demon's power. Their friends and allies stood up as well and gave Raven their strength, even Slade. Shadowcobra then put his hands on Raven's shoulders, combining his energy with hers.

Raven and Shadowcobra shouted out, their body radiating pure and raw power, "**AZARATH, METRION, ZINTHOS**!"

Raven's soul self erupted from her body in the form of a giant white bird that swept over Trigon. Trigon roared as the energy tore into his body, destroying him and erasing him from existence…FOREVER…

There was a blinding flash of light.

It was over.

* * *

Shadow hung the Red-X suit in the vault and sighed before closing the door. Now, it was time for him to face the music.

* * *

Raven was on the roof of the Tower, watching the sunset. Shadow went up to see her and had changed back into his SB uniform. He was wary of her mood, presently. She was still dressed in white (which strangely suited her) but she had been genuinely upset when she found out about his identity as Red-X. She had hugged and kissed him after she defeated her father, but still slapped him about the whole 'Red-X situation' as well as the fact that he had originally been assigned by Yoshido to kill her to avoid Trigon's arrival. The others had been understanding; Robin was a little pensive, and Shadow was allowed to keep the suit, granted that he had modified it greatly. They still had trouble with his past with Yoshido, but he was defended by both Draco and Pluto.

He approached Raven slowly and began asking, "How are you feeling?"

She didn't turn to face him, "I'm fine." Usually, when a woman said 'Fine' she didn't really mean it. Shadow sighed and then, against better judgment, asked again.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I am." She may not have been showing it, but his presence and questions were slowly agitating her.

"Please Raven, don't lie to me!" he pleaded. This got to Raven. She turned around and glared.

"So, it's okay for you to lie and not okay for me to lie?" she asked rhetorically. He didn't answer. She then continued, "I'm just sick and tired of you always lying and keeping secrets from me!"

"All people have secrets," Shadow retorted.

Raven continued, "They do, but at least they trust others enough to tell them. Why couldn't you trust me?" she said in a hurt tone. "Why, Ichijyo?"

Shadow sighed, and turned away from her. Seeing her eyes like this would just make this more difficult. He answered, "It's because…It's because I didn't want to lose you."

"Lose me?" what had he meant.

"Yes, and to protect you," he clarified, "Raven, there are things about me that you shouldn't have known about. I was the one sent to kill you, remember that I told you that?"

"Yes, you did. What changed, besides getting the suit, I mean?"

Shadow sighed and turned to look at her, "I fell in love," he admitted, "with you." She blushed. "From the day I saw you, I knew I couldn't do what I had been commanded to do. I wanted to leave, but that wasn't a strong enough excuse. That was why I pretended to be Red-X that time so I could be closer to you, even when fighting. I pretended to flirt with Starfire, but my attention was all for you."

Raven blushed at his confession.

"I then knew what my true path was; a hero."

"All because of me?" Raven questioned.

"All because of you," he went to embrace her, but she stepped away.

"I want to believe you trust you," she paused, "But…"

"But you can't," he finished her sentence for her, "Because I lied and was secretive."

"I've been a hypocrite. I keep secrets too, from my friends and you. But, I just feel…betrayed. You could've told me."

"I did."

"You thought you didn't have to face my wrath since you thought Trigon was going to kill you."

"No I didn't." Raven glared. "Okay…maybe a little part of me did."

"It's just…can you…can you please tell me everything about you, secrets and all? That way, they'll be OUR secrets," she suggested.

"Even the embarrassing ones?" he asked.

"Those too."

"Thought so."

"Well, it's either that or continue keeping secrets and lying."

He was silent.

She continued, "You do want this…our relationship to work, don't you?"

"I do…it's just that I'm scared," he shut his eyes.

"Scared?" she asked, "Why?"

"Because…because there's a lot of things about me you may not like."

Raven studied his expressions, "But if we need to learn to trust each other, those boundaries have to be broken."

"I understand."

Raven scrutinized him. He seemed genuine, but she had to test it first, "Okay, first question: What was the most embarrassing moment of your life?"

Shadow's eyes widened. Was this a test of trust and should he answer truthfully. He could block her out of his mind, but doing so would be cheating. He left his mind open to her invasion and answered, "When I was a child, I climbed up a tree in the back of my house and cried non stop until my father helped me down. I was only 6 years old then."

Raven began to giggle. That was embarrassing…but not enough. She asked another question, "Have you wet your bed before?"

Now THAT was something he didn't want to answer. He blushed, "Yes…when I was 7." Raven exploded with laughter as Shadow frowned and sulked. "I'm _so_ glad you find it funny."

"Oh, it is," she stopped laughing. "Tell me something else."

"You look beautiful in white," he told her, "But then again, you look beautiful in anything you wear." Raven blushed at this comment and pulled up her hood. Shadow smirked; he had his revenge. He approached her and pulled her hood down, "We shall have none of that." He stroked his hand through her long violet tresses, "Beautiful…why don't you keep it this way?"

"Long hair just gets in the way," she told him.

"Aww…" he whined, "But you look simply beautiful, dressed in white and with long hair. Besides, the other girls have long hair and it doesn't bother them."

"It does me," she said childishly.

"Isn't that's what the hood is for?" he countered. Raven bit her bottom lip. He got her there. She could always tuck her hair under the hood during missions so that it wouldn't get in the way, and besides, Starfire had said that it was beautiful, though she had said it since it was easier to braid long hair compared to her once short hair. But still… "And…it looks simply lovely, why ruin it?"

He was flirting with her, like he usually did. She had nearly forgotten why she was mad at him in the first place. Oh well, telling her his most embarrassing moments was perfect payback and she could hang this over him and use it as blackmail, if he got out of line of course. Well, his hands were on her shoulders and she slipped into his embrace, slowly. "Do you love me?" she asked. It was trivial and silly question since she already knew the answer, but she wanted him to say it…it felt good that way.

"I love you…dearly my darling dear, my sweet little blackbird, with all my heart and soul. I would go to the ends of the Earth to be with you and I shall follow you to eternity and oblivion," he answered her. That was true. He had gone to rescue her after she had opened the portal and ended the world in hopes of saving her and the world. Though she had been reduced to a little girl, he still did his best to protect her, risking his life in the process. His original duty, according to Yoshido, may have been to kill her, but he had decided to protect her…and protect her he did and shall.

His hands slipped from her shoulders and then his arms wrapped around her, his chin rested on her head. She closed her eyes; he was so warm and she felt safe within his arms. The sun set over the horizon, casting a shadow and a halo of light. The two looked to each other and drew closer, their lips meeting in a kiss as they tightened the embrace.

She pulled away, looking at his eyes and asked, "How do you do it?"

"Do what?" he asked back.

"How do you remain to have so much hope, even when all the odds are against you?" she asked him more clearly.

"I just do," he shrugged, "However, believe it or not, you're the most hopeful person I have ever met."

"Me?"

"Yes, you," he elaborated, "From the day you were born, you were told that you would do unspeakable things. However, you broke away from that all and fought for good with your powers. You became a hero. You didn't let your destiny become your master. Timshel, my dear."

"Timshel?"

"It's an old Hebrew word, it means 'thou mayest'. It means to fulfill your own destiny, despite your legacy or your origins."

She understood and nodded in agreement. They both kissed again, before watching the sun set together.

Tomorrow the sun would rise again and thus A New Dawn will begin.

"Let's go back downstairs…there a celebration in your honor and cake waiting for you," Shadow told her. Free at last to feel, Raven smiled.

* * *

(Meanwhile, in Slade's Mansion…)

Kat walked into Slade's study and his back was facing her. She asked, "You wish to see me, Slade-sama?"

"Katherine," he said calmly as he turned around, his mask on. "From your actions so far as my apprentice, I have seen you've excelled far beyond my expectations. But…"

"But?" she prodded. She didn't like this.

"I am a little disappointed that you came to my rescue. I half expected you to leave me to die and then assume control on your own. I thought I taught you better than that."

"You did, Slade-sama…but…" Kat wasn't sure of what to say.

"Yes, Katherine?" he asked her, slowly approaching her.

"This may sound disgustingly sappy, but you're the closest thing I have to a real father," she paused, head down, "I already lost one father…and I wasn't ready to lose another one. I still have a lot to learn." She finished, "Also, I don't think I can handle your kids on my own." That last part was intended as a joke.

"Come here, Katherine," he told her and she did. He led her over to the large globe in his study and placed a hand on her shoulder. "In many ways, as you see me as your father, I also see you as my daughter. Truth be told, I see a little bit of myself in you: you're vicious, deceitful, manipulative, treacherous and above all ambitious." He spun the globe around. "When I am gone, everything I have will be yours for you to do as you desire. All I ask is that you do not disappoint me."

"I won't, Slade-sama…"

"As long as you are loyal to me, the World shall be yours."

THE END?

Shadow: Raven?

Raven: Yes?

Shadow: (Produces ring) Will you marry me?

Raven: (Eyes wide) …

Well folks, that's the end of volume 2. Tune in for the upcoming volume 3, entitled "LOST PARADISE".

I'd like to thank those who have reviewed as well as Dr. Evans for helping me with this fic. This 2nd volume would not have been possible without all your help.

Reviewers to thank: Meiriona. Icefox35, bob the builder mafia man, 12345, Ant Crown, cat of the shadows, Shadow Element 13, Hotshot45, Count Le Madphantom, Angel, krow, Ryan L. Spradling, and Sonic 1. Most of all, Thanks Devan for your ideas, contributions and characters


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